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PARIS 


Travel  Lovers^  Libyary 

WORKS  OF 

GRANT  ALLEN 

Each,  I vol.,  Library  i2mo,  cloth,  gilt  top, 
with  65  full-page  plates,  boxed. 

Per  volume,  net  $1.75,  postpaid,  $1.90. 

FLORENCE 

PARIS 

VENICE 

BELGIUM:  ITS  CITIES 
QTIES  OF  NORTHERN  ITALY 

U C.  PAGE  & COMPANY 
53  Beacon  Streett  Boston^  Mass« 


TRAVEL  LOVERS*  LIBRARY 

fartis 

BY 

GRANT  ALLEN 

Author  of 

“Venice,”  “Florence,”  “Belgium:  Its  Cities,” 
“Cities  of  Northern  Italy,”  etc. 

With  a Photogravure  Frontispiece 
and  Sixty-four  Full  Page  Plates 
in  Puogravure 

BOSTON  ^ L.  C.  PAGE  & 

1 COMPANY  ^ PUBLISHERS 

’I? 

Copyright^  igoo 

By  L.  C.  Page  & Company 

(incorporated) 


All  rights  reserved 


New  Edition,  February,  1912 


E le  ctr  otyped  and  Printed  by 
THE  COLONIAL  PRESS 
C.  H . Simonds  Co.,  Boston,  U.S.A. 


INTRODUCTION. 


‘HE  object  and  plan  of  this  book  is  some- 


A what  different  from  that  of  any  other 
guides  at  present  before  the  public.  It  does 
not  compete  or  clash  with  such  existing  works  ; 
it  is  rather  intended  to  supplement  than  to  sup- 
plant them.  My  purpose  is  not  to  direct  the 
stranger  through  the  streets  and  squares  of  an 
unknown  town  toward  the  buildings  or  sights 
which  he  may  desire  to  visit ; still  less  is  it  my 
design  to  give  him  practical  information  about 
hotels,  cab  fares,  omnibuses,  tramways,  and 
other  every-day  material  conveniences.  For 
such  details,  the  traveller  must  still  have  re- 
course to  the  trusty  pages  of  his  Baedeker,  his 
Joanne,  or  his  Murray.  I desire  rather  to  supply 
the  tourist  who  wishes  to  use  his  travel  as  a 
means  of  culture  with  such  historical  and  an- 
tiquarian information  as  will  enable  him  to 
understand,  and  therefore  to  enjoy,  the  archi- 


X 


Introduction, 


tecture,  sculpture,  painting,  and  minor  arts  of 
the  towns  he  visits.  In  one  word,  it  is  my 
object  to  give  the  reader  in  a very  compendious 
form  the  result  of  all  those  inquiries  which 
have  naturally  suggested  themselves  to  my  own 
mind  during  thirty-five  years  of  foreign  travel, 
the  solution  of  which  has  cost  myself  a good 
deal  of  research,  thought,  and  labour,  beyond 
the  facts  which  I could  find  in  the  ordinary 
handbooks. 

For  several  years  past  I have  devoted  myself 
to  collecting  and  arranging  material  for  a book 
to  embody  the  idea  I had  thus  entertained.  I 
earnestly  hope  it  may  meet  a want  on  the 
part  of  tourists,  especially  Americans,  who,  so 
far  as  my  experience  goes,  usually  come  to 
Europe  with  an  honest  and  reverent  desire  to 
learn  from  the  Old  World  whatever  of  value 
it  has  to  teach  them,  and  who  are  prepared  to 
take  an  amount  of  pains  in  turning  their  trip 
to  good  account  which  is  both  rare  and  praise- 
worthy. For  such  readers  I shall  call  atten- 
tion at  times  to  other  sources  of  information. 

The  general  plan  pursued  will  be  somewhat 
as  follows.  First  will  come  the  inquiry  why 
the  town  ever  gathered  together  at  all  at  that 


Introduction. 


XI 


particular  spot  — what  induced  the  aggregation 
of  human  beings  rather  there  than  elsewhere. 
Next,  we  shall  consider  why  the  town  grew  to 
social  or  political  importance  and  what  were  the 
stages  by  which  it  assumed  its  present  shape. 
Thirdly,  we  shall  ask  why  it  gave  rise  to  that 
higher  form  of  handicraft  which  we  know  as 
Art,  and  toward  what  particular  arts  it  especially 
gravitated.  After  that,  we  shall  take  in  detail 
the  various  strata  of  its  growth  or  development, 
examining  the  buildings  and  works  of  art  which 
they  contain  in  historical  order,  and,  as  far  as 
possible,  tracing  the  causes  which  led  to  their 
evolution.  In  particular,  we  shall  lay  stress 
upon  the  origin  and  meaning  of  each  structure 
as  an  organic  whole,  and  upon  the  allusions  or 
symbols  which  its  fabric  embodies. 

A single  instance  will  show  the  method  upon 
which  I intend  to  proceed  better  than  any 
amount  of  general  description.  A church,  as 
a rule,  is  built  over  the  body  or  relics  of  a par- 
ticular saint,  in  whose  special  honour  it  was 
originally  erected.  That  saint  was  usually  one 
of  great  local  importance  at  the  moment  of  its 
erection,  or  was  peculiarly  implored  against 
plague,  foreign  enemies,  or  some  other  press- 


Xll 


Introduction. 


ing  and  dreaded  misfortune.  In  dealing  with 
such  a church,  then,  I endeavour  to  show  what 
were  the  circumstances  which  led  to  its  erection, 
and  what  memorials  of  these  circumstances  it 
still  retains.  In  other  cases  it  may  derive  its 
origin  from  some  special  monastic  body  — 
Benedictine,  Dominican,  Franciscan — and  may 
therefore  be  full  of  the  peculiar  symbolism  and 
historical  allusion  of  the  order  who  founded  it. 
Wherever  I have  to  deal  with  such  a church,  I 
try  as  far  as  possible  to  exhibit  the  effect  which 
its  origin  had  upon  its  architecture  and  decora- 
tion ; to  trace  the  image  of  the  patron  saint  in 
sculpture  or  stained  glass  throughout  the  fabric  ; 
and  to  set  forth  the  connection  of  the  whole 
design  with  time  and  place,  with  order  and 
purpose.  In  short,  instead  of  looking  upon 
monuments  of  the  sort  mainly  as  the  product 
of  this  or  that  architect,  I look  upon  them 
rather  as  material  embodiments  of  the  spirit 
of  the  age,  — crystallisations,  as  it  were,  in 
stone  and  bronze,  in  form  and  colour,  of  great 
popular  enthusiasms. 

By  thus  concentrating  attention  on  what  is 
essential  and  important  in  a town,  I hope  to 
give  in  a comparatively  short  space,  though  with 


Introduction. 


Xlll 


inevitable  conciseness,  a fuller  account  than  is 
usually  given  of  the  chief  architectural  and 
monumental  works  of  the  principal  art-cities. 
I shall  have  little  to  say  about  such  mod- 
ern constructions  as  the  Champs  Elysees  or 
the  Eiffel  Tower ; still  less,  of  course,  about  the 
Morgue,  the  Catacombs,  the  waxworks  of  the 
Musee  Grevin,  and  the  celebrated  Excursion  in 
the  Paris  Sewers.  The  space  thus  saved  from 
vulgar  wonders  I shall  hope  to  devote  to  fuller 
explanation  of  Notre-Dame  and  the  Sainte 
Chapelle,  of  the  mediaeval  carvings  or  tapestries 
of  Cluny,  and  of  the  pictures  or  sculptures  in 
the  Louvre.  The  passing  life  of  the  moment 
does  not  enter  into  my  plan ; I regard  the  town 
mainly  as  a museum  of  its  own  history. 

For  this  reason,  too,  I shall  devote  most  at- 
tention to  what  is  locally  illustrative,  and  less 
to  what  is  merely  adventitious  and  foreign.  I 
shall  have  more  to  say  about  truly  Parisian  art 
and  history,  as  embodied  in  St.  Denis,  the  He 
de  la  Cite,  and  the  shrine  of  Ste.  Genevieve, 
than  about  the  Egyptian  and  Assyrian  collec- 
tions of  the  Louvre.  I shall  assign  a due 
amount  of  space,  indeed,  to  the  foreign  collec- 
tions, but  I shall  call  attention  chiefly  to  those 


XIV 


Introduction. 


monuments  or  objects  which  are  of  entirely 
local  and  typical  value. 

As  regards  the  character  of  the  information 
given,  it  will  be  mainly  historical,  antiquarian, 
and,  above  all,  explanatory.  I am  not  a con- 
noisseur — an  adept  in  the  difficult  modern 
science  of  distinguishing  the  handicraft  of  vari- 
ous masters,  in  painting  or  sculpture,  by  minute 
signs  and  delicate  inferential  processes.  In 
such  matters,  I shall  be  well  content  to  follow  the 
lead  of  the  most  authoritative  experts.  Nor  am 
I an  art-critic  “ a student  versed  in  the  tech- 
nique of  the  studios  and  the  dialect  of  the 
modelling-room.  In  such  matters,  again,  I shall 
attempt  little  more  than  to  accept  the  gen- 
eral opinion  of  the  most  discriminative  judges. 
What  I aim  at  rather  is  to  expound  the  history 
and  meaning  of  each  work  — to  put  the  intelli- 
gent reader  in  such  a position  that  he  may  judge 
for  himself  of  the  aesthetic  beauty  and  success 
of  the  object  before  him.  To  recognise  the 
fact  that  this  is  a Perseus  and  Andromeda,  that 
a St.  Barbara  enthroned,  the  other  an  obscure 
episode  in  the  legend  of  St.  Philip,  is  not  art- 
criticism,  but  it  is  often  an  almost  indispensable 
prelude  to  the  formation  of  a right  and  sound 


Introduction. 


XV 


judgment.  We  must  know  what  the  artist  was 
trying  to  represent  before  we  can  feel  sure  what 
measure  of  success  he  has  attained  in  his  rep- 
resentation. 

For  the  general  study  of  Christian  art,  alike 
in  architecture,  sculpture,  and  painting,  no 
treatises  are  more  useful  for  the  tourist  to 
carry  with  him  for  constant  reference  than  Mrs. 
Jameson's  ‘‘Sacred  and  Legendary  Art,"  and 
“Legends  of  the  Madonna."  For  works  of 
Italian  art,  Kugler's  “ Italian  Schools  of  Paint- 
ing " is  an  invaluable  vade-mecum.  These  books 
should  be  carried  about  by  everybody  every- 
where. Other  works  of  special  and  local  im- 
portance will  occasionally  be  noticed. 

Wherever  in  the  text  paintings  or  other 
objects  are  numbered,  the  numbers  used  are 
always  those  of  the  latest  official  catalogues. 

Individual  works  of  merit  are  distinguished 
by  an  asterisk  (*) ; those  of  very  exceptional 
interest  and  merit  have  two  asterisks. 


MAP  OF  HISTORIC  PARIS. 


HIS  map  represents  approximately  the 


JL  growth  of  Paris,  outside  the  island,  at  dif- 
ferent epochs.  Earlier  buildings  are  printed  in 
black ; later  streets  and  edifices  are  shown  by 
means  of  dotted  lines.  But  the  map  does  not 
represent  the  aspect  of  Paris  at  any  one  time  ; it 
merely  illustrates  this  book  : thus,  the  original 
chateau  of  the  Louvre  is  marked  in  black ; the 
later  Palace  is  dotted  ; whereas  the  Madeleine,  a 
much  more  modern  building  than  the  Louvre  of 
Frangois  I.,  is  again  inserted  in  black,  because 
it  does  not  interfere  with  the  site  of  any  more 
ancient  building.  In  very  early  times  the  town 
spread  south  as  far  only  as  Cluny,  and  north 
(just  opposite  the  island)  as  far  as  the  Rue 
de  Rivoli.  The  subsequent  walls  are  marked 
approximately  on  the  map,  with  the  chief  edifices 
enclosed  by  them.  The  fortifications  of  Louis 
XIII.  w^ere  demolished  by  Louis  XIV.,  who 


XVll 


xviii  Map  of  Historic  Paris. 

substituted  for  them  the  broad  streets  still 
known  as  the  boulevards.  This  map  shows, 
roughly  speaking,  the  extent  of  Paris  under 
Louis  XIV.  ; by  comparing  it  with  Baedeker's 
map  of  modern  Paris,  the  small  relative  size  of 
the  seventeenth  century  town  will  be  at  once 
appreciated.  Nevertheless,  the  inner  nucleus 
here  mapped  out  contains  almost  everything 
worthy  of  note  in  the  existing  city. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

Introduction ix 

Map  of  Historic  Paris xvii 

I.  Origins  of  Paris  — The  Isle  de  la  Cite  ii 
II.  The  Palais  de  Justice  and  the  Sainte 

Chapelle 23 

III.  Notre -Dame 34 

IV.  The  Roman  Palace  and  the  Musee  de 

Cluny 50 

V.  The  Hill  of  Ste.  Genevieve  ...  92 

\ VI.  The  Louvre 104 

VH.  Salle  des  Primitifs  and  Salle  Duchatel  122 

VIII.  Salon  Carre 149 

IX.  Long  Gallery 162 

X.  The  German,  English,  and  French  Schools  194 
XI.  Further  Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the 

Louvre 212 

XII.  The  Madonnas  in  the  Louvre  . . . 243 

XIII.  How  TO  Study  the  Paintings  in  the  Louvre  266 

XIV.  Classical  Sculpture 289 

XV.  Renaissance  Sculpture 319 


Contents 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XVI.  Modern  Sculpture  and  the  Smaller 

Collections 357 

XVII,  The  Modern  City 375 

XVIII.  The  Great  Boulevards 398 

XIX.  The  Faubourg  St.  Germain  ....  408 

XX.  St.  Denis  ........  442 

XXI.  Conclusion 473 

Index  487 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

Venus  of  Milo Frontispiece 

Abbey  of  St.  Denis 17 

Ile  de  la  Cite 20 

The  Sainte  Chapelle 27 

Notre  - Dame 36 

Notre  - Dame.  — Facade  from  the  Seine  ...  42 

Panorama  from  Notre  - Dame 49 

Musee  de  Cluny 55 

Renaissance  Chimneypiece  by  Hughes  Lallement  60 

Renaissance  Chimneypiece 79 

The  Thermes  and  Well  of  Peter  the  Hermit  . 91 

The  Pantheon  96 

St.  Etienne  du  Mont.  — Shrine  of  Ste.  Gene- 
vieve   lOI 

CouR  DU  Louvre 112 

Hotel  de  Ville 121 

Nike  of  Samothrace 125 

Perugino.  — Madonna 130 

Fra  Angelico.  — Coronation  of  the  Virgin  . .136 

Ingres.  — La  Source 148 

Veronese.  — Marriage  at  Cana 152 


List  of  Illustrations 

PAGE 

Raphael.  — La  Belle  Jardiniere  . . . .156 

Lionardo  da  Vinci.  — Mona  Lisa  . . . .158 

SoLARio.  — Madonna  with  the  Green  Cushion  . 164 

Titian.  — Jupiter  and  Antiope 168 

Velasquez.  — Philip  IV.  of  Spain  . . . .176 

Rubens.  — Birth  of  Marie  de  Medicis  . . .184 
Van  Dyck.  — Children  of  Charles  I.  . . .191 

Greuze.  — Cruche  Cassee 202 

Frans  Hals.  — Gipsy  Woman 208 

Mantegna.  — Madonna  della  Vittoria  . . .219 

Mantegna.  — Parnassus 228 

Raphael.  — St.  George 233 

Raphael.  — St.  Michael 240 

Botticelli.  — Madonna  (1295) 256 

Borgognone.  — Presentation 261 

Lionardo  DA  Vinci.  — La  Vierge  aux  Rochers  . 262 

Luini.  — The  Adoration  of  the  Magi  . . .275 

Titian.  — Christ  Bound 282 

School  of  Lionardo  da  Vinci.  — Last  Supper  . 284 

Diana  of  Gabii 290 

Three  Graces  . . . . . . . . . 299 

Venus  of  Arles 304 

The  Tiber.  — Satyr  Caryatides 308 

Salle  des  Caryatides 317 

Lorenzo  da  Mugiano.  — Louis  XII 324 

Michael  Angelo.  — Fettered  Slave  ....  328 

Michel  Colombe.  — St.  George 342 

Germain  Pilon.  — Three  Graces  ....  348 

Canova.  — Cupid  and  Psyche 359 

Galerie  d’Apollon 369 

Tower  of  St.  Jacques 381 

Place  des  Victoires.  — Equestrian  Statue  of 

Louis  XIV 39^ 


List  of  Illustrations 

PAGE 

Interior  of  the  Madeleine 399 

The  Bourse 403 

Place  de  la  Bastille.  — Colonne  de  Juillet  . 406 

Luxembourg.  — Senate  Chamber 413 

Church  of  St.  Sulpice 424 

Luxembourg.  — Fontaine  de  Medicis  . . . 430 

Tuileries  Gardens 432 

Boulevard  Montmartre 442 

Abbey  of  St.  Denis.  — The  Choir  . . . -455 

Germain  Pilon.  — Tomb  of  Henri  II.  and  Cath- 
erine DE  Medicis 458 

Pierre  Bontemps.  — Urn  for  the  Heart  of  Fran- 
cois   4^4 

Fontainebleau.  — Throne  P^oom 481 

Versailles.  — Chamber  of  Louis  XIV.  . . . 483 


Pans 


CHAPTER  L 

ORIGINS  OF  PARIS  - THE  ILE  DE  LA  CITE. 

PARIS  is  not,  like  Rome,  London,  Lyons,  an 
inevitable  city.  It  does  not  owe  its  dis- 
tinctive place,  like  New  York,  Chicago,  San 
Francisco,  Melbourne,  to  natural  position  alone. 
Rather  does  it  resemble  Madrid  or  Berlin  in 
being  in  great  part  of  artificial  administrative 
origin.  It  stands,  no  doubt,  upon  an  important 
navigable  river,  the  Seine ; but  its  position  upon 
that  river,  though  near  the  head  of  navigation, 
when  judged  by  the  standard  of  early  times,  is 
not  exactly  necessary  or  commanding.  Rouen 
in  mediaeval  days,  Havre  at  the  present  mo- 

II 


12 


Paris. 


merit,  are  the  real  ports  of  the  Seine.  The 
site  of  Paris  is  in  itself  nothing  more  than  one 
among  the  many  little  groups  of  willow-clad 
alluvial  islets  which  are  frequent  along  the 
upper  reaches  of  the  river.  The  modern  city 
owes  its  special  development  as  a town,  first  to 
its  Roman  conquerors,  then  to  its  bridges,  next 
to  its  mediaeval  counts,  last  of  all  to  the  series 
of  special  accidents  by  which  those  counts  de- 
veloped  at  last  into  kings  of  the  nascent  king- 
dom of  France,  and  inheritors  of  the  traditions 
of  the  Frankish  sovereigns.  It  is  thus  in  large 
part  a royal  residential  town,  depending  main!}' 
for  prosperity  upon  its  kings,  its  nobles,  its 
courts  of  justice,  its  parliaments,  its  university, 
its  clergy,  and  its  official  classes ; comparatively 
little,  till  quite  recent  times,  upon  the  energy 
and  industry  of  its  individual  citizens.  We  say, 
as  a rule,  that  Paris  is  the  capital  of  France ; it 
would  be  truer  to  say  that  France  is  the  coun- 
try which  has  grouped  itself  under  the  rulers  of 
‘^aris. 

The  name  itself  points  back  to  the  antiquity 
of  some  human  aggregation  upon  this  particular 
spot.  It  is  the  name  of  a tribe,  that  of 
their  capital.  The  Parish  were  a Celtic  people 


13 


Origins  of  Paris. 

of  comparatively  small  importance,  who  occu- 
pied the  banks  of  the  Seine  at  the  period  of  the 
Roman  conquest.  Their  town  or  stronghold, 
Lutetia,  called  distinctively  Lutetia  Parisioriim 
(Lutetia  of  the  Parish),  was  situated,  says 
Caesar,  ‘rin  an  island  of  the  River  Sequana  ” 
— the  same  which  is  now  called  the  He  de  la 
Cite.  Two  adjacent  islands  of  the  same  alluvial 
type  have  long  since  coalesced  to  form  the  He 
St.  Louis  ; a fourth,  the  He  Louviers,  is  at  pres- 
ent enclosed  in  the  mainland  of  the  northern 
bank  by  the  modern  quays. 

This  stockaded  island  village  of  the  Parish 
was  conquered  by  the  Romans  in  b.  c.  53. 
Under  Roman  rule,  it  remained  at  first  an 
unimportant  place,  the  really  large  towns  of 
Gaul  at  that  time  being  Arles,  Ntmes,  Mar- 
seilles, Bordeaux,  and  Lyons.  In  the  north, 
Treviri  was  the  chief  Roman  settlement.  To- 
ward the  end  of  the  Roman  period,  however, 
Paris  seems  to  have  increased  in  importance, 
and  overflowed  a little  from  the  island  to  the. 
south  bank.  The  town  owed  its  rapid  rise,  no 
doubt,  to  the  two  Roman  bridges  which  here 
crossed  the  two  branches  of  the  Seine,  prob- 
ably on  the  same  sites  as  the  modern  Petit- 


Paris. 


Pont  and  Pont  Notre-Dame.  The  river  formed 
its  highway.  Constantins  Chlorus,  who  lived 
in  Gaul  from  a.  d.  292  to  306,  is  supposed  to 
have  built  in  the  faubourg  on  the  south  side  the 
palace  of  the  Thermes,  which  now  forms  a part 
of  the  Museum  of  Cluny.  Julian  certainly  in- 
habited that  palace  in  360.  The  town  was 
known  as  Lutetia  almost  as  long  as  the  Roman 
power  lasted;  but  after  the  Frankish  invasion 
(and  even  in  late  Roman  times),  the  name  of 
the  tribe  superseded  that  of  the  ancient  for- 
tress : Lutetia  became  known  as  Paris,  the 
stronghold  of  the  Parish,  just  in  the  same 
way  as  the  Turones  gave  their  name  to  Tours, 
the  Ambiarii  to  Amiens,  and  the  Senones  to 
Sens. 

After  the  occupation  of  Gaul  by  Clovis 
(Hlodwig),  Paris  sank  for  a time  to  the  posi- 
tion of  a mere  provincial  town.  The  Merwing 
(or  Merovingian)  kings,  the  successors  of  Clovis, 
resided  as  a rule  at  Orleans  or  Soissons.  The 
Frankish  emperors  and  kings  of  the  line  of 
Charlemagne  (the  Karlings  or  Carlovingians) 
again  held  their  court  for  the  most  part  at  Aix- 
la-Chapelle.  The  town  by  the  Seine  was  so 
completely  neglected  under  later  sovereigns  of 


15 


Origins  of  Paris. 

the  Karling  line  (who  were  practically  Ger- 
mans), that  during  the^  invasions  of  the  North- 
men from  841  to  885  it  was  left  entirely  to  its 
own  resources.  But  its  count,  Eudes,  defended  it 
so  bravely  from  the  northern  pirates,  that  he 
became  the  real  founder  of  the  French  State, 
the  first  inaugurator  of  France  as  a separate 
country,  distinct  from  the  Empire.  His  pro- 
vincial city  grew  into  the  kernel  of  a mediaeval 
monarchy.  From  his  time  on,  Paris  emerges 
as  the  capital  of  a struggling  kingdom,  small  in 
extent  at  first,  but  gradually  growing  till  it 
attained  the  size  which  it  now  possesses.  The 
Teutonic  King  of  the  Franks  was  reduced  for  a 
time  to  the  rocky  fortress  of  Laon  ; the  Count 
of  Paris  became  Duke  of  the  French,  and  then 
King  of  France  in  the  modern  acceptation. 

As  the  kingdom  grew  (absorbing  by  de- 
grees Flanders,  Normandy,  Aquitaine,  Pro- 
vence, Champagne,  and  Burgundy),  the  capital 
grew  with  it ; its  limits  at  various  times  will 
be  more  fully  described  in  succeeding  pages. 
From  first  to  last,  however,  Paris  preserved  its 
character  as  rather  the  official  and  administra- 
tive centre  than  the  commercial  emporium. 
Nevertheless,  even  under  the  Romans,  its  sym- 


i6 


Paris. 


bol  was  a ship.  Its  double  debt  to  the  river 
and  the  monarchy  is  well  symbolised  by  its 
mediaeval  coat  of  arms,  which  consists  of  a 
vessel  under  full  sail,  surmounted  by  the  jleur 
de  lis  of  the  French  kings,  and  crested  above 
by  a mural  crown. 

So  few  remnants  of  Roman  Paris  exist  at  our 
day,  that  we  will  begin  our  survey  with  the  He 
de  la  Cit6,  the  nucleus  of  the  mediaeval  town, 
leaving  the  scanty  earlier  relics  to  be  noted 
later  on  in  their  proper  places.  But  before  we 
proceed  to  this  detailed  description,  two  other 
facts  of  prime  importance  in  the  history  of  old 
Paris  must  be  briefly  mentioned,  because  with- 
out them  the  character  of  the  most  ancient 
» buildings  in  the  city  cannot  be  properly  under- 
stood. These  two  facts  — even  if  mythical, 
yet  facts  none  the  less  — are  the  histories  of 
the  two  great  patron  saints  of  the  early  burgh- 
ers. It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  to  the 
mediaeval  Parisian,  Paris  appeared  far  less  as 
the  home  of  the  kings  or  the  capital  of  the 
kingdom  than  as  the  shrine  of  St.  Denis  and 
the  city  of  Ste.  Genevieve. 

Universal  tradition  relates  that  St.  Denis  was 
the  first  preacher  of  Christianity  in  Paris.  He 


mr 


ABBEY  OF  ST.  DENIS. 


17 


Origins  of  Paris. 

is  said  to  have  suffered  martyrdom  there  in  the 
year  270.  As  the  apostle  and  evangelist  of  the 
town,  he  was  deeply  venerated  from  the  earliest 
times  ; but  later  legend  immensely  increased  his 
vogue  and  his  sanctity.  On  the  one  hand,  he 
was  identified  with  Dionysius  the  Areopagite ; 
on  the  other  hand,  he  was  said  to  have  walked 
after  his  decapitation,  bearing  his  head  in  his 
hand,  from  his  place  of  martyrdom  on  the  hill 
of  Montmartre  (Mons  Martyrum),  near  the  site 
from  which  the  brand-new  church  of  the  Sacr^ 
Coeur  now  overlooks  the  vastly  greater  modern 
city,  to  a spot  two  miles  away,  where  a pious 
lady  buried  him.  On  this  spot,  a chapel  is  said 
to  have  been  erected  as  early  as  a.  d.  275 
within  five  years  of  his  martyrdom  ; later,  Ste. 
Genevieve,  assisted  by  the  people  of  Paris, 
raised  a church  over  his  remains  on  the  same 
site.  In  the  reign  of  King  Dagobert,  the 
sacred  body  was  removed  to  the  Abbey  of  St. 
Denis  (see  later),  which  became  the  last  rest- 
ing-place of  the  kings  of  France.  It  is  prob- 
able that  the  legend  of  the  saint  having  carried 
his  head  from  Montmartre  arose  from  a mis- 
understanding of  images  of  the  decapitated 
bishop,  bearing  his  severed  head  in  his  hands 


i8 


Paris, 


as  a symbol  of  the  mode  of  his  martyrdom  ; 
but  the  tale  was  universally  accepted  as  true  in 
mediaeval  days,  and  is  still  so  accepted  by  devout 
Parisians.  Images  of  St.  Denis,  in  episcopal 
robes,  carrying  his  mitred  head  in  his  hands, 
may  be  looked  ^ for  on  all  the  ancient  build- 
ings of  the  city.  St.  Denis  thus  represents 
the  earliest  patron  saint  of  Paris  — the  saint 
of  the  primitive  Church  and  of  the  period  of 
persecution. 

The  second  patron  saint  of  the  city  — the 
saint  of  the  Frankish  conquest  — is  locally  and 
artistically  even  more  important.  Like  Jeanne 
d’Arc,  she  touches  the  strong  French  sentiment 
of  patriotism.  Ste.  Genevieve,  a peasant  girl  of 
Nanterre  (on  the  outskirts  of  Paris),  was  born 
in  421,  during  the  stormy  times  of  the  barba- 
rian irruptions.  When  she  was  seven  years  old, 
St.  Germain,  of  Auxerre  (of  whom  more  will  be 
said  under  the  church  of  St.  Germain  I’Auxer- 
rois),  on  his  way  to  Britain,  saw  la  pucellette 
Genevieve,  and  became  aware,  by  divine  pre- 
monition, of  her  predestined  glory.  When  she 
had  grown  to  woman's  estate,  and  was  a shep 
herdess  at  Nanterre,  a barbarian  leader  (identi- 
fied in  the  legend  with  Attila,  King  of  the 


19 


Origins  of  Paris. 

Huns)  threatened  to  lay  siege  to  the  little  city. 
But  Genevieve,  warned  of  God,  addressed  the 
people,  begging  them  not  to  leave  their  homes, 
and  assuring  them  of  the  miraculous  protection 
of  heaven.  And  indeed,  as  it  turned  out,  the 
barbarians,  without  any  obvious  reason,  changed 
their  line  of  march,  and  avoided  Paris.  Again, 
when  Childeric,  the  father  of  Clovis,  invested 
the  city,  the  people  suffered  greatly  from  sick- 
ness and  famine.  Then  Genevieve  took  com- 
mand of  the  boats  which  were  sent  up-stream 
to  Troyes  for  succour,  stilled  by  her  prayers  the 
frequent  tempests,  and  brought  the  ships  back 
laden  with  provisions.  After  the  Franks  had 
captured  Paris,  Ste.  Genevieve  carried  on  Ro- 
man traditions  into  the  Frankish  court ; she  was 
instrumental  in  converting  Clovis  and  his  wife 
Clotilde ; and  when  she  died,  at  eighty-nine,  a 
natural  death,  she  was  buried  by  the  side  of  her 
illustrious  disciples.  The  history  of  her  body 
will  be  given  at  length  when  we  come  to  ex- 
amine her  church  on  the  South  Side,  commonly 
called  the  Pantheon ; but  her  image  may  fre- 
quently be  recognised  on  early  buildings  by 
the  figure  of  a devil  at  her  side,  endeavouring 
in  vain  (as  was  his  wont)  to  extinguish  her 


20 


Paris. 


lighted  taper  — the  taper,  no  doubt,  of  Roman 
Christianity,  which  she  did  not  allow  to  be 
quenched  by  the  Frankish  invaders. 

Round  these  two  sacred  personages  the 
whole  art  and  history  of  early  Paris  con- 
tinually cluster.  The  beautiful  figure  of  the 
simple  peasant  enthusiast.  Ste.  Genevieve,  in 
particular,  has  largely  coloured  Parisian  ideas 
and  Parisian  sympathies.  Her  shrine  still  at- 
tracts countless  thousands  of  the  faithful. 

Having  premised  these  facts,  we  are  now  in 
a position  to  commence  our  survey  of  the  city. 
I strongly  recommend  the  reader  to  visit  the 
various  objects  of  interest  in  the  exact  order 
here  prescribed.  Otherwise,  he  will  not  under- 
stand the  various  allusions  to  points  already 
elucidated.  But  no  necessary  organic  con- 
nection exists  between  the  collections  of  the 
Louvre  and  the  town  in  which  they  are  housed. 
Therefore,  they  may  be  visited  off  and  on  at 
any  time. 

The  He  de  la  Cite,  the  oldest  Paris,  consisted 
in  the  Middle  Ages  of  a labyrinth  of  narrow 
and  tortuous  lanes,  now  entirely  replaced  by 
large  and  stately  modern  official  buildings.  In 


DE  LA  CITE. 


21 


Origins  of  Paris. 

Roman  and  Frankish  times,  it  comprised  the 
whole  of  the  town,  save  a small  suburb  extend- 
ing as  far  as  the  present  Museum  of  Cluny, 
on  the  South  Side.  Among  its  sunless  alleys, 
however,  in  later  mediaeval  days,  numerous 
churches  raised  their  heads,  of  which  Notre- 
Dame  and  the  Sainte  Chapelle  alone  now  re- 
main ; while  others,  dedicated  to  the  oldest 
local  saints,  such  as  Ste.  Genevieve-des-Ar- 
dents,  St.  filoy,  and  St.  Germain-1  e-Vieux,  have 
been  entirely  destroyed.  The  west  extremity 
of  the  island  was  formerly  occupied  by  the  old 
Royal  Palace,  parts  of  which  still  survive,  in- 
cluded in  the  buildings  of  the  modern  Palais  de 
Justice.  On  the  east  end  stood  the  cathedral 
of  Notre-Dame,  with  the  episcopal  palace  in  its 
rear ; while,  close  by,  rose  the  earliest  hospital 
in  Europe,  the  Hotel-Dieu,  said  to  have  been 
originally  founded  by  Clovis,  and  now  repre- 
sented by  a vastly  larger  modern  building  on  a 
different  site.  As  the  burgesses  began  to  shift 
their  homes  to  the  quarters  north  of  the  Seine, 
in  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries,  the  Cite 
was  gradually  given  over  to  the  clergy.  The 
kings  also  removed  from  the  Palace  of  the 
Capets  to  their  new  residences  on  the  North 


22 


Paris. 


Bank  (Bastile,  H6tel  Saint-Paul,  old  castle  of 
the  Louvre),  and  gave  up  their  island  mansion 
to  the  Parlement  or  Supreme  Court,  since  which 
time  it  has  been  commonly  known  as  the  Palais 
de  Justice,  and  extensively  modernised.  At  the 
present  day,  the  Cite  has  become  the  head- 
quarters of  Law,  Police,  and  Religion,  and  is 
almost  entirely  occupied  by  huge  official  struc- 
tures, which  cover  enormous  areas,  and  largely 
conceal  its  primitive  character.  It  still  contains, 
however,  the  most  precious  mediaeval  monu- 
ments of  Paris. 

At  least  two  days  should  be  devoted  to  the 
He  de  la  Cit6 ; one  to  the  Palace  and  the  Sainte 
Chapelle,  another  to  the  Cathedral.  Do  not 
attempt  to  see  them  both  together. 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE  PALAIS  DE  JUSTICE  AND  THE  SAINTE 
CHAPELLE. 

O along  the  Rue  de  Rivoli  as  far  as  the 


V_T  Square  of  the  Tour  St.  Jacques.  If  driv- 
ing, alight  here.  Turn  down  the  Place  du 
Chatelet  to  your  right.  In  front  is  the  pretty 
modern  fountain  of  the  Chatelet ; on  the  right, 
the  Theatre  du  Chatelet ; on  the  left,  the  Opera 
Comique.  The  bridge  which  faces  you  is  the 
Pont-au-Change,  so-called  from  the  money- 
changers' and  jewelers'  booths  which  once 
flanked  its  wooden  predecessor  (the  oldest  in 
Paris),  as  they  still  do  the  Rialto  at  Venice,  and 
the  Ponte  Vecchio  at  Florence. 

Stand  by  the  right-hand  corner  of  the  bridge 
before  crossing  it.  In  front  is  the  He  de  la 
Cite.  The  square,  dome-crowned  building 
opposite  you  to  the  left  is  the  modern  Tribunal 
de  Commerce ; beyond  it  leftward  lie  the 


24 


Pans. 


March6-aux-Fleurs  and  the  long  line  of  the 
H6tel-Dieu,  above  which  rise  the  towers  and 
spire  of  Notre-Dame.  In  front,  to  the  right, 
the  vast  block  of  buildings  broken  by  towers 
forms  part  of  the  Palais  de  Justice,  the  ancient 
Palace  of  the  French  kings,  begun  by  Hugues 
Capet.  The  square  tower  to  the  left  in  this  block 
is  the  Tour  de  PHorloge.  Next,  to  the  right, 
come  the  two  round  towers  of  the  Conciergerie, 
known  respectively  as  the  Tour  de  Cesar  and 
the  Tour  de  Montgomery.  The  one  beyond 
them,  with  battlements,  is  the  Tour  d’Argent. 
It  was  in  the  Conciergerie  that  Marie  Antoinette, 
Robespierre,  and  many  other  victims  of  the 
Revolution  were  imprisoned. 

These  mediaeval  towers,  much  altered  and 
modernised,  are  now  almost  all  that  remains 
of  the  old  Palace,  which,  till  after  the  reign  of 
Louis  IX.  (St.  Louis),  formed  the  residence  of 
the  Kings  of  France.  Charles  VII.  gave  it  in 
1431  to  the  Parlement  or  Supreme  Court. 
Ruined  by  fires  and  rebuilding,  it  now  consists 
for  the  most  part  of  masses  of  irregular  recent 
edifices.  The  main  modern  fagade  fronts  the 
Boulevard  du  Palais. 

Cross  the  bridge.  The  Tour  de  PHorloge 


Palais  de  Justice  and  Sainte  Chapelle.  25 

on  your  right,  at  the  corner  of  the  Boulevard 
du  Palais,  contains  the  oldest  public  clock  in 
France  (1370).  The  figures  of  Justice  and 
Piety  by  its  side  were  originally  designed  by 
Germain  Pilon,  but  are  now  replaced  by  copies. 
Walk  around  the  Palais  by  the  quay  along  the 
north  branch  of  the  Seine  till  you  eome  to  the 
Rue  de  Harlay.  Turn  there  to  your  left, 
toward  the  handsome  and  imposing  modern 
facade  of  this  side  of  the  Palais  de  Justice. 
The  interior  is  unworthy  a visit.  The  Rue  de 
Harlay  forms  the  westernmost  end  of  the  original 
He  de  la  Cite.  The  prow-shaped  extremity  of 
the  modern  island  has  been  artificially  pro- 
duced by  embanking  the  sites  of  two  or  three 
minor  islets.  The  Place  Dauphine,  which  occu- 
pies the  greater  part  of  this  modern  extension, 
was  built  in  1 608  ; it  still  affords  a character- 
istie  example  of  the  domestie  Paris  of  the  period 
before  Baron  Haussmann.  Continue  along  the 
quay  as  far  as  the  Pont-Neuf,  so  as  to  gain  an 
idea  of  the  extent  of  the  He  de  la  Cite  in  this 
direction.  The  centre  of  the  Pont-Neuf  is  oc- 
cupied by  an  equestrian  statue  of  Henri  IV., 
first  of  the  Bourbon  kings.  Its  predecessor  was 
erected  in  1635,  was  destroyed  to  make 


26 


Paris. 


cannon  during  the  great  Revolution.  Louis 
XVIII.  reerected  it.  From  this  point  you  can 
gain  a clear  idea  of  the  two  branches  of  the 
Seine  as  they  unite  at  the  lower  end  of  the  He 
de  la  Cite.  To  your  right,  looking  westward, 
you  also  obtain  a fine  view  of  the  Colonnade  of 
the  Old  Louvre,  with  the  southwestern  gallery, 
and  the  more  modern  buildings  of  the  Museum 
behind  it.  (See  later.) 

Now,  walk  along  the  southern  quay  of  the 
island,  around  the  remainder  of  the  Palais  de 
Justice,  as  far  as  the  Boulevard  du  Palais. 
There  turn  to  your  left,  and  go  in  at  the  first 
door  of  the  Palace  on  the  left  (undeterred  by 
sentries)  into  the  court  of  the  Sainte  Chapelle, 
the  only  important  relic  now  remaining  of  the 
home  of  St.  Louis.  You  may  safely  neglect 
the  remainder  of  the  building. 

The  thirteenth  century  (age  of  the  Crusades) 
was  a period  of  profound  religious  enthusiasm 
throughout  Europe.  Conspicuous  among  its 
devout  soldiers  was  Louis  IX.,  afterward  can- 
onised as  St.  Louis.  The  saintly  king  purchased 
from  Baldwin,  Emperor  of  Constantinople,  the 
veritable  crown  of  thorns,  and  a fragment  of 
the  true  cross  — paying  for  these  relics  an 


THE  SAINTE  CHAPELLE. 


Palais  de  Justice  and  Sainte  Chapelle.  27 

immense  sum  of  money.  Having  become  pos- 
sessed of  such  invaluable  and  sacred  objects, 
Louis  desired  to  have  them  housed  with  suit- 
able magnificence.  He  therefore  entrusted  one 
Pierre  de  Montereau  with  the  task  of  building  a 
splendid  chapel  (within  the  precincts  of  his 
palace),  begun  in  1245,  and  finished  three  years 
later,  immediately  after  which  the  king  set  out 
on  his  Crusade.  The  monument  thus  breathes 
throughout  the  ecstatic  piety  of  the  mystic  king  ; 
it  was  consecrated  in  1248,  in  the  name  of  the 
Holy  Crown  and  the  Holy  Cross,  by  Eudes  de 
Chateauroux,  Bishop  of  Tusculum  and  papal 
legate. 

Three  things  should  be  noted  about  the 
Sainte  Chapelle.  (i)  It  is  a chapel,  not  a 
church ; therefore  it  consists  (practically)  of 
a choir  alone,  without  nave  or  transepts. 
(2)  It  is  the  domestic  chapel  of  the  royal  pal- 
ace. (3)  It  is,  above  all  things,  the  shrine  of 
the  crown  of  thorns.  These  three  points  must 
be  constantly  borne  in  mind  in  examining  the 
building. 

Erected  later  than  Notre-Dame,  it  represents 
the  pointed  style  of  the  middle  of  the  thir- 
teenth century,  and  is  singularly  pure  and 


28 


Paris. 


uniform  throughout.  Secularised  at  the  Revo- 
lution, it  fell  somewhat  into  decay  ; but  was 
judiciously  restored  by  Viollet-le-Duc  and 
others.  The  Messe  Rouge,''  or  Messe  du 
St.  Esprit,"  is  still  celebrated  here  once  yearly, 
on  the  reopening  of  the  courts  after  the 
autumn  vacation,  but  no  other  religious  services 
take  place  in  the  building.  The  crown  of 
thorns  and  the  piece  of  the  true  cross  are 
now  preserved  in  the  treasury  at  Notre-Dame. 

Open  daily,  free,  except  Mondays,  1 1 to  4 or 
5.  Choose  a very  bright  day  to  visit  it. 

Examine  the  exterior  in  detail  from  the  court 
on  the  south  side.  More  even  than  most 
Gothic  buildings,  the  Sainte  Chapelle  is  sup- 
ported entirely  by  its  massive  piers,  the  wall 
being  merely  used  for  enclosure,  and  consisting 
for  the  most  part  of  lofty  windows.  As  in  most 
French  Gothic  buildings,  the  choir  terminates 
in  a round  apse,  wdiereas  English  cathedrals 
have  usually  a square  end.  The  beautiful  light 
fleche  or  spire  in  the  centre  has  been  restored. 
Observe  the  graceful  leaden  angel,  holding  a 
cross,  on  the  summit  of  the  chevet  or  round 
apse.  To  see  the  facade,  stand  well  back  oppo- 
site it,  when  you  can  observe  that  the  chapel  is 


Palais  de  Justice  and  Sainte  Chapelle.  29 

built  in  four  main  stories,  — those,  namely,  of 
the  Lower  Church  or  crypt,  of  the  Upper 
Church,  of  the  great  rose  window  (with  later 
flamboyant  tracery),  and  of  the  gable-end,  par- 
tially masked  by  an  open  parapet  studded  with 
the  royal  fleurs-de-lis  of  France.  The  crown  of 
thorns  surrounds  the  two  pinnacles  which 
flank  the  fourth  story. 

The  chapel  consists  of  a lower  and  upper 
church.  The  Lower  Church  is  a mere  crypt, 
which  was  employed  for  the  servants  of  the  royal 
family.  Its  portal  has  in  its  tympanum  (or  trian- 
gular space  in  the  summit  of  the  arch)  the  Cor- 
onation of  the  Virgin,  and  on  its  centre  pillar  a 
good  figure  of  the  Madonna  and  Child.  Enter 
the  Lower  Church.  It  is  low,  and  has  pillars 
supporting  the  floor  above.  In  the  polychro- 
matic decoration  of  the  walls  and  pillars,  notice 
the  frequent  repetition  of  the  royal  lilies  of 
France,  combined  with  the  three  castles  of 
Castille,  in  honour  of  Blanche  of  Castille,  the 
mother  of  St.  Louis. 

Mount  to  **the  Upper  Chapel  (or  Sainte 
Chapelle  proper)  by  the  small  spiral  staircase 
in  the  corner.  This  soaring  pile  was  the  ora- 
tory where  the  royal  family  and  court  attended 


30 


Paris. 


service ; its  gorgeousness  bespeaks  its  origin 
and  nature.  It  glows  like  a jewel.  First  go 
out  of  the  door  and  examine  the  exterior  and 
doorway  of  the  chapel.  Its*  platform  was  di- 
rectly approached  in  early  times  from  the  Pal- 
ace. The  centre  pillar  bears  a fine  figure  of 
Christ.  In  the  tympanum  (as  over  the  princi- 
pal doorway  of  almost  every  important  church 
in  Paris  and  the  district)  is  a relief  of  the  Last 
Judgment.  Below  stands  St.  Michael  with  his 
scales,  weighing  the  souls ; on  either  side  is 
depicted  the  Resurrection,  with  the  Angels 
of  the  Last  Trump.  Above,  in  the  second  tier, 
is  Christ,  holding  up  his  hands  with  the  marks 
of  the  nails,  as  a sign  of  mercy  to  the  redeemed  : 
to  the  right  and  left  of  him  angels  display  the 
crown  of  thorns  and  the  true  cross,  to  con- 
tain which  sacred  relics  the  chapel  was  built. 
On  the  extreme  left  kneels  the  Blessed  Virgin ; 
on  the  extreme  right,  Ste.  Genevieve.  This 
scene  of  the  Last  Judgment  was  adapted  with 
a few  alterations  from  that  above  the  central 
west  door  of  Notre-Dame,  the  crown  of  thorns 
in  particular  being  here  significantly  substituted 
for  the  three  nails  and  spear.  The  small 
lozenge  reliefs  to  the  right  and  left  of  the 


Palais  de  Justice  and  Sainte  Chapelle.  31 

portal  are  also  interesting.  Those  to  the  left 
represent  in  a very  naive  manner  God  the  Father 
creating  the  world,  sun  and  moon,  light,  plants, 
animals,  man,  etc.  Those  to  the  right  give  the 
story  of  Genesis,  Cain  and  Abel,  the  flood, 
the  ark,  Noah’s  sacrifice,  Noah’s  vine,  etc.  ; 
the  subjects  of  all  which  the  visitor  can  easily 
recognise,  and  is  strongly  recommended  to 
identify  for  himself. 

The  interior  consists  almost  entirely  of  large 
and  lofty  windows,  with  magnificent  stained 
glass,  in  large  part  ancient.  The  piers  which 
divide  the  windows,  and  alone  support  the 
graceful  vault  of  the  roof,  are  provided  with 
statues  of  the  twelve  apostles,  a few  of  them 
original.  Each  bears  his  well-known  symbol. 
Spell  them  out  if  possible.  Beneath  the  win- 
dows, in  the  quatrefoils  of  the  arcade,  are 
enamelled  glass  mosaics  representing  the  mar- 
tyrdoms of  the  saints  — followers  of  Christ, 
each  wearing  his  own  crown  of  thorns  : a pretty 
conceit  wholly  in  accord  with  St.  Louis’s  ec- 
static type  of  piety.  Conspicuous  among  them 
are  St.  Denis  carrying  his  head,  St.  Sebastian 
pierced  with  arrows,  St.  Stephen  stoned,  St. 
Lawrence  on  his  gridiron,  etc.  Examine  and 


32 


Faris. 


identify  each  separately.  The  apse  (formerly 
separated  from  the  body  of  the  building  by  a 
rood-screen,  now  destroyed)  contains  the  vacant 
base  of  the  high  altar,  behind  which  stands  an 
arcaded  tabernacle,  now  empty,  in  whose  shrine 
were  once  preserved  the  crown  of  thorns,  the 
fragment  of  the  true  cross,  and  other  relics. 
Amongst  them  in  later  times  was  included  the 
skull  of  St.  Louis  himself  in  a golden  reliquary. 
Two  angels  at  the  summit  of  the  large  centre 
arch  of  the  arcade  bear  a representation  of  the 
crown  of  thorns  in  their  hands.  Above 
the  tabernacle  rises  a canopy  or  baldacchino, 
approached  by  two  spiral  staircases ; from  its 
platform  St.  Louis  and  his  successors,  the 
kings  of  France,  were  in  the  habit  of  exhibiting 
with  ’ their  own  hands  the  actual  relics  them- 
selves once  a year  to  the  faithful.  The  golden 
reliquary  in  which  the  sacred  objects  were  con- 
tained was  melted  down  in  the  Revolution. 
The  small  window  with  bars  to  your  right,  as 
you  face  the  high  altar,  was  placed  there  by  the 
superstitious  and  timid  Louis  XL,  in  order  that 
he  might  behold  the  elevation  of  the  Host  and 
the  sacred  relics  without  being  exposed  to  the 
danger  of  assassination.  The  visitor  should 


Palais  de  Justice  and  Sainte  Chapelle.  33 

also  notice  the  inlaid  stone  pavement,  with  its 
frequent  repetition  of  the  fleur-de-lis  and  the 
three  castles.  The  whole  breathes  the  mysti- 
cism of  St.  Louis  : the  lightness  of  the  architec- 
ture, the  height  of  the  apparently  unsupported 
roof,  and  the  magnificence  of  the  decoration,  ren- 
der this  the  most  perfect  ecclesiastical  building 
in  Paris. 

In  returning  from  the  chapel,  notice  on  the 
outside,  from  the  court  to  the  south,  the  appar- 
ently empty  and  useless  porch,  supporting  a 
small  room,  which  is  the  one  through  whose 
grated  window  Louis  XI.  used  to  watch  the 
elevation. 

I would  recommend  the  visitor  on  his  way 
home  from  this  excursion  to  walk  around  the  re- 
mainder of  the  He  de  la  Cite  in  the  direction 
of  Notre-Dame,  so  as  to  gain  a clear  idea  of  the 
extent  of  the  island,  without,  however,  endeav- 
ouring to  examine  the  cathedral  in  detail  on 
this  occasion. 

Vary  your  artistic  investigations  by  afternoons 
in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  Champs  Elysees,  etc. 


CHAPTER  III. 


NOTRE  - DAME. 

IN  very  early  times,  under  the  Frankish  mon- 
archs,  the  principal  church  of  Paris  was  ded- 
icated to  St.  Stephen,  the  Protomartyr.  It 
stood  on  part  of  the  site  now  covered  by  Notre- 
Dame,  and  was  always  enumerated  first  among 
the  churches  of  the  city.  A smaller  edifice, 
dedicated  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  also  oc- 
cupied a part  of  the  site  of  the  existing  cathe- 
dral. About  the  middle  of  the  twelfth  century, 
however,  it  was  resolved  to  erect  a much  larger 
cathedral  on  the  He  de  la  Cite,  suitable  for  the 
capital  of  so  important  a country  as  France 
had  become  under  Louis  VI.  and  Louis  VII.  ; 
and  since  the  cult  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  had 
then  long’ been  increasing,  it  was  also  decided  to 
dedicate  the  new  building  to  Our  Lady  alone, 
to  the  exclusion  of  St.  Stephen.  The  two  early 
churches  were  therefore  cleared  away  by  de- 
34 


Notre  - Dame. 


35 


grees,  and  in  1163  the  work  of  erecting  the 
present  church  was  begun  under  Bishop  Mau- 
rice de  Sully,  the  first  stone  being  laid  by 
Pope  Alexander  III.,  in  person.  The  relics  of 
St.  Stephen  were  reverently  conveyed  to  a new 
church  erected  in  his  honour  on  the  hill  of  Ste. 
Genevieve,  south  of  the  river  (now  represented 
by  St.  Etienne-du-Mont,  to  be  described  here- 
after), and  Our  Lady  was  left  in  sole  possession 
of  the  episcopal  edifice.  Nevertheless,  it  would 
seem  that  the  builders  feared  to  excite  the  en- 
mity of  so  powerful  a saint  as  the  Protomartyr ; 
for  many  memorials  of  St.  Stephen  remain  to  this 
day  in  the  existing  cathedral,  and  will  be  pointed 
out  during  the  course  of  our  separate  survey. 

Notre-Dame  de  Paris  is  an  edifice  in  the 
early  French  Gothic  style,  the  first  great 
church  in  that  style  to  be  erected  in  France, 
and  the  model  on  which  many  others  were  after- 
ward based.  Begun  in  1163,  it  was  consecrated 
in  1182,  but  the  western  front  was  not  com- 
menced till  1218,  and  the  nave  was  only  finished 
toward  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century. 
Much  desecrated  in  the  Revolution,  the  cathe- 
dral has  been  on  the  whole  admirably  restored. 
It  stands  at  present  lower  than  it  once  did, 


36 


Paris. 


owing  to  the  gradual  rise  of  the  surrounding 
ground  ; formerly,  it  was  approached  by  thirteen 
steps  (the  regulation  number  imitated  from  the 
Temple  at  Jerusalem).  It  has  two  western 
towers,  instead  of  one  in  the  centre  where  nave 
and  transepts  intersect,  as  is  usual  in  England ; 
so  have  all  the  cathedrals  in  France  which  imi- 
tate it.  This  peculiarity  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
French  Gothic  aims  especially  at  height,  and,  the 
nave  being  raised  so  very  high,  a tower  could 
not  safely  be  added  above  it.  Other  differences 
between  English  and  French  Gothic  will  be 
pointed  out  in  detail  in  the  course  of  our 
survey. 

Though  Notre-Dame  was  the  first  great  build- 
ing in  Paris  proper,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  the  magnificent  Basilica  of  St.  Denis, 
four  miles  to  the  north,  and  also  the  Abbey 
Church  of  St.  Germain-des-Pres,  in  the  southern 
suburb,  antedated  it  by  several  years. 

Recollect  three  things  about  Notre-Dame. 

(1)  It  is  a church  of  Our  Lady  : therefore,  most 
of  it  bears  reference  to  her  cult  and  legends. 

(2)  It  is  the  cathedral  church  of  Paris  : there- 
fore, it  is  full  of  memorials  of  local  saints  — St. 
Denis,  Ste.  Genevieve,  St.  Marcel,  Bishop  of 


NOTRE  - DAME. 


Notre  - DamCc 


37 


Paris,  etc.,  amongst  whom  must  also  be  classed 
St.  Stephen.  (3)  It  is  a royal  church  : therefore, 
it  contains  many  reminders  of  the  close  alliance 
of  Church  and  State.  Thus  understood,  Notre- 
Dame  becomes  an  epic  in  stone. 

In  visiting  Notre-Dame,  go  along  the  Rue  de 
Rivoli  as  far  as  the  Square  of  the  Tour  St. 
Jacques.  Walk  through  the  little  garden. 
Notice,  in  passing,  the  tower  ^ — all  that  now  re- 
mains of  the  Church  of  St.  Jacques-de-la-Bou- 
cherie  — used  at  present  as  a meteorological 
observatory.  Turn  down  the  Rue  St.  Martin  to 
the  Pont  Notre-Dame.  In  front,  to  the  left, 
stands  the  Hotel-Dieu  ; to  the  right,  the  Tribunal 
de  Commerce ; in  the  centre,  the  Marche-aux- 
Fleurs  ; at  its  back,  the  Prefecture  de  Police. 
Continue  straight  along  the  Rue  de  la  Cite,  pass- 
ing, on  the  right,  the  main  facade  of  the  modern 
Palais  de  Justice  (with  a glimpse  of  the  Sainte 
Chapelle)  till  you  come  to  the  broad  and  open 
Place  Notre-Dame  (generally  known  by  its  medi- 
aeval name  of  the  Parvis).  Take  a seat  under  the 
horse-chestnuts  on  the  north  side  of  the  Place, 
opposite  the  equestrian  statue  of  Charlemagne, 
in  order  to  examine  the  facade  of  the  cathedral. 

The  **west  front,  dating  from  the  beginning  of 


38 


Paris. 


the  thirteenth  century  (later  than  the  rest),  con- 
sists of  two  stories,  flanked  by  towers  of  four 
stories.  The  first  story  contains  the  three  main 
portals  : on  the  left,  the  door  of  Our  Lady,  in  the 
centre,  that  of  her  Son,  and  on  the  right  that 
of  her  Mother.  On  the  buttresses  between  them 
stand  four  statues : extreme  left,  St.  Stephen ; 
extreme  right,  St.  Marcel,  Bishop  of  Paris  (a 
canonised  holder  of  this  very  see)  ; centre  left, 
the  Church,  triumphant ; centre  right,  the  Syna- 
gogue, dejected  (representing  between  them  the 
Law  and  the  Gospel).  This  first  story  is  crowned 
and  terminated  by  the  Galerie  des  Rois,  contain- 
ing figures  of  the  kings  of  Israel  and  Judah,  an- 
cestors of  the  Blessed  Virgin  (others  say,  kings 
of  France  to  the  date  of  the  building),  destroyed 
in  the  great  Revolution,  but  since  restored. 
On  the  parapet  above  it  stand,  on  the  right  and 
left,  Adam  and  Eve ; in  the  centre.  Our  Lady 
and  Child  with  two  adoring  angels  — the  Fall 
and  the  Redemption.  The  second  story  contains 
the  great  rose  window  and  two  side-arches  with 
double  windows.  The  third  story  of  the  towers 
consists  of  a graceful  open-work  screen,  con- 
tinued in  front  of  the  nave,  so  as  to  hide  its 
ugly  gable  (which  is  visible  from  farther  back 


Notre  - Dame. 


39 


in  the  Place),  thus  giving  the  main  front  a 
fallacious  appearance  of  having  three  stories. 
The  final  or  fourth  story  of  the  towers  is  pierced 
on  each  side  by  two  gigantic  windows,  adding 
lightness  to  their  otherwise  massive  block.  The 
contemplated  spires  have  never  been  added. 
This  facade  has  been  copied  with  modifications 
in  many  other  French  cathedrals. 

Now  approach  the  front,  to  examine  in  detail 
the  great  portals,  deeply  recessed,  as  is  usual 
in  French  cathedrals,,  owing  to  the  massive 
masonry  of  the  towers.  The  left  or  northern 
doorway — ^that  of  Our  Lady  (by  which  her 
church  is  usually  entered)  -—bears  on  its  central 
pier  a statue  of  the  Virgin  and  Child ; beneath 
her  feet  are  scenes  from  the  temptation  of  Eve, 
who  brought  into  the  world  sin,  and  the  first 
murderer  Cain,  as  contrasted  with  her  descend- 
ant, the  Blessed  Virgin,  who  brought  into  the 
world  the  Redeemer  of  mankind.  Over  Our 
Lady’s  head  a tabernacle,  representing  the  relics 
preserved  within.  In  the  tympanum,  first  tier, 
are,  at  the  left,  three  patriarchs,  at  the  right, 
three  kings,  typifying  the  ancestors  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin.  Above,  second  tier,  the  En- 
tombment of  the  Virgin,  placed  in  her  sarcopha* 


40 


Paris. 


gus  by  angels,  and  attended  by  the  apostles 
with  their  familiar  symbols.  Higher  still,  third 
tier,  the  Coronation  of  the  Virgin,  in  the 
presence  of  her  Son,  with  adoring  angels.  The 
whole  thus  represents  the  Glory  of  Our  Lady. 
At  the  sides  below,  life-size  figures  : extreme 
left,  Constantine,  first  Christian  Emperor ; 
extreme  right.  Pope  Silvester,  to  whom  he  is 
supposed  to  have  given  the  patrimony  of  St. 
Peter  — the  two  representing  the  union  of 
Church  and  State.  Next  to  these  the  great 
local  saints : on  the  left,  St.  Denis,  bearing 
his  head,  and  guided  by  two  angels ; on  the 
right,  St.  John  Baptist,  St.  Stephen,  and  Ste. 
Genevieve,  with  the  devil  endeavouring  to  extin- 
guish her  taper,  and  a sympathising  angel.  The 
figures  on  the  arch  represent  spectators  of 
the  Coronation  of  the  Virgin.  Minor  subjects 
— signs  of  the  Zodiac,  Months,  etc.  — I leave 
to  the  ingenuity  and  skill  of  the  reader.  The 
centre  doorway  (commonly  called  the  Porte 
du  Jugement)  is  that  of  the  Redeemer,  Our 
Lady's  Son  ; on  its  central  pier,  fine  modern 
figure  of  Christ  blessing;  above,  in  the  tym- 
panum, the  usual  Last  Judgement.  First  tier 
(modern),  the  General  Resurrection,  with  angels 


Notre  - Dame. 


41 


of  the  last  trump,  and  kings,  queens,  bishops, 
knights,  etc.,  rising  from  their  tombs ; con- 
spicuous among  them  is  naturally  St.  Stephen. 
Second  tier,  St.  Michael  the  Archangel  weigh- 
ing souls,  with  devils  and  angels  in  waiting, 
the  devils  cheating ; on  the  right,  the  wicked 
(on  Christ’s  left)  hauled  in  chains  to  hell ; 
on  the  left,  the  saints  (on  His  right)  ascending 
to  glory.  On  the  summit,  third  tier,  the  New 
Jerusalem,  with  Christ  enthroned,  showing  His 
wounds  in  mercy,  flanked  by  adoring  angels 
holding  the  cross,  spear,  and  nails  ; on  the  left, 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  patroness  of  this  church  ; 
and  on  the  right,  Ste.  Genevieve,  patroness  of 
Paris,  interceding  for  their  votaries.  (Last 
figure  is  usually,  but  I think  incorrectly,  identi- 
fied as  St.  John  the  Evangelist,  who  has  no 
function  on  a Parisian  cathedral.)  This  relief, 
closely  copied  at  the  Sainte  Chapelle,  is  itself 
imitated  from  one  at  St.  Denis.  On  the  lintels 
the  Wise  (left)  and  Foolish  (right)  Virgins  ; on 
the  left  and  right  on  jambs,  life-size  figures 
of  the  twelve  apostles,  with  their  usual 
symbols.  Obsej^ve  the  beautiful  ironwork  of 
the  hinges.  The  third  or  southern  portal,  that 
of  St.  Anne  — the  Mother  of  the  Virgin  — 


42 


Pans. 


contains  older  work  than  the  other  two,  replaced 
from  the  earlier  church  on  the  same  site.  The 
style  of  the  figures  is  therefore  Romanesque, 
not  Gothic ; so  is  the  architecture  represented 
in  them.  On  the  centre  pier,  St.  Marcel, 
Bishop  of  Paris.  Above,  tympanum,  history 
of  St.  Anne ; first  tier,  centre,  the  meeting 
of  Joachim  and  Anna  at  the  Golden  Gate;  on 
the  left.  Marriage  of  the  Virgin ; on  the  right, 
her  Presentation  by  St.  Anne  in  the  Temple, 
etc.  Second  tier,  the  Nativity,  and  the  visit 
of  the  Magi  to  Herod  ; at  the  summit,  third 
tier.  Madonna  enthroned,  with  adoring  angels, 
a king,  and  a bishop  — Church  and  State  once 
more  identified.  The  work  on  this  doorway 
much  resembles  that  at  St.  Denis.  Magnificent 
iron  hinges,  brought  from  old  St.  Stephen's. 

Walk  around  the  quay  on  the  South  Side  to 
examine  the  body  of  the  church.  Notice  the 
lofty  nave,  and  almost  equally  lofty  aisles,  with 
(later)  side-chapels  built  out  as  far  as  the  level 
of  the  transept ; also,  the  flying  buttresses.  As 
in  most  French  churches,  the  transepts  are 
short,  and  project  but  little  from  the  aisles. 
The  south  transept  has  a good  late  fagade  with 
two  rose  windows.  Its  portal  — ill  visible  — is 


Notre  - Dame. 


43 


dedicated  (in  compensation)  to  the  displaced 
St.  Stephen,  and  contains  on  the  pier  a figure 
of  the  saint,  robed,  as  usual,  as  a deacon ; in 
the  tympanum  are  reliefs  of  his  preaching, 
martyrdom,  death,  and  glorification.  Note,  to 
the  right,  a small  relief  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours 
dividing  his  cloak  with  the  beggar. 

Enter  the  little  garden  further  east,  which 
occupies  the  site  of  the  former  archeveche,  in 
order  to  observe  the  characteristic  French  form 
of  the  choir  — a lofty  and  narrow  apse,  with 
apsidal  aisles  and  circular  chapels  added  below, 
the  whole  forming  what  is  called  a chevet.  The 
light-flying  buttresses  which  support  the  soaring 
and  slender  choir  add  greatly  to  the  beauty  and 
picturesqueness  of  the  building.  Pretty  modern 
Gothic  fountain.  Quit  the  garden  and  continue 
round  the  northern  side  of  the  cathedral.  The 
first  (small)  door  at  which  we  arrive  — the 
Port  Rouge  — admits  the  canons.  It  is  a late 
addition,  built  in  1407  by  Jean  sans  Peur,  Duke 
of  Burgundy,  in  expiation  of  his  murder  of  the 
Duke  of  Orleans ; the  donor  and  his  wife  kneel 
on  each  side  of  the  Coronation  of  the  Virgin  in 
the  tympanum.  Notice  here  the  gargoyles  and 
the  graceful  architecture  of  the  supports  to  the 


44 


Paris. 


buttresses.  The  second  (larger)  door  — the 
Portail  du  Cloitre,  so  called  from  the  cloisters 
long  demolished  — in  the  north  transept  con- 
tains a good  statue  of  the  Madonna  on  the 
pier ; above,  in  the  tympanum,  confused  figures 
tell  obscurely  the  legend  of  the  monk  Theophilus, 
who  sold  his  soul  to  the  devil.  Stand  opposite 
this  door,  on  the  far  pavement,  to  observe  the 
architecture  of  the  north  transept.  The  best 
point  of  view  for  the  whole  body  of  the  cathe- 
dral, as  distinct  from  the  facade,  can  be  obtained 
from  the  Quai  de  Montebello  on  the  south  side 
of  the  river. 

To  visit  the  interior,  enter  by  the  left  or 
northern  door  of  the  facade  — that  of  Our 
Lady.  The  lofty  nave  is  flanked  by  double 
aisles,  all  supported  by  powerful  piers.  Walk 
across  the  church  and  notice  all  five  vistas. 
Observe  the  height  and  the  delicate  arches  of 
the  triforium,  or  pierced  gallery  of  the  second 
story,  as  well  as  the  windows  of  the  clerestory 
above  it  — the  part  of  the  nave  which  rises 
higher  than  the  aisles,  and  opens  freely  to  the 
exterior.  Walk  down  the  outer  right-hand  aisle. 
The  side-chapels,  each  dedicated  to  a separate 
saint,  contain  the  altars  and  statues  of  their 


Notre  - Dame. 


45 


patrons.  Notice  the  shortness  of  the  transepts, 
with  their  great  rose  windows ; observe  also  the 
vaulting  of  the  roof,  especially  at  the  intersec- 
tion of  the  four  main  arms  of  the  building.  The 
entrance  to  the  choir  and  ambulatory  is  in  the 
right  hand  or  southern  transept.  Close  by, 
near  the  pillar,  Notre-Dame  de  Paris,  the  won- 
der-working mediaeval  statue  of  Our  Lady.  The 
double  aisles  are  continued  around  the  choir, 
which  is  separated  from  them  by  a wall  and 
gateways.  Approach  the  brass  grills,  in  order 
to  inspect  the  interior  of  the  choir,  whose  fur- 
niture was  largely  modernised  and  ruined  by 
Louis  XIV.,  in  accordance  with  a misguided 
vow  of  his  father.  Chapels  surround  the  am- 
bulatory, many  of  them  with  good  glass  win- 
dows and  tolerable  frescoes.  The  chapel  at 
the  end  is  that  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Seven 
Sorrows. 

By  far  the  most  interesting  object  in  the 
interior,  however,  is  the  series  of  **  high  re- 
liefs in  stone,  gilt  and  painted  (on  the  wall 
between  choir  and  ambulatory),  executed  early 
in  the  fourteenth  century  by  Jehan  Ravy  and 
his  nephew,  Jehan  de  Bouteillier,  which,  though 
inferior  in  merit  to  those  in  the  same  position 


46 


Paris. 


in  Amiens  cathedral,  are  admirable  examples 
of  animated  and  vigorous  French  sculpture 
of  their  period.  The  series  begins  on  the 
northern  side  of  the  choir,  at  the  point  most 
remote  from  the  grill  which  leads  to  the  tran- 
sept. The  remaining  subjects  (for  some,  like 
the  Annunciation,  are  destroyed)  comprise  the 
Visitation ; Adoration  of  the  Shepherds  ; Na- 
tivity ; Adoration  of  the  Magi  (note  the  three 
kings,  representing  the  three  ages  of  man ; the 
oldest,  as  usual,  has  removed  his  crown,  and 
is  offering  his  gift) ; the  Massacre  of  the  Inno- 
cents ; the  Flight  into  Egypt  (where  a grotesque 
little  temple,  containing  two  odd  small  gods, 
quaintly  represents  the  prevalence  of  idolatry) ; 
the  Presentation  in  the  Temple  ; Christ  among 
the  Doctors  ; the  Baptism  in  the  Jordan  (with 
attendant  angel  holding  a towel)  ; the  Miracle 
at  Cana ; the  Entry  into  Jerusalem  (with  Zac- 
chaeus  in  the  tree,  and  the  gate  of  the  city) ; 
the  Last  Supper  ; the  Washing  of  the  Apostles’ 
feet ; and  the  Agony  in  the  Garden.  The 
tourist  should  carefully  examine  all  these  sub- 
jects, the  treatment  of  which  strikes  a keynote. 
Similar  scenes,  almost  identical  in  their  figures, 
will  be  found  in  abundance  at  Cluny  and  else- 


Notre  - Dame. 


47 


where.  Note,  for  example,  the  symbolical 
Jordan  in  the  Baptism,  with  St.  John  pouring 
water  from  a cup,  and  the  attendant  angel,  all 
of  which  we  shall  often  recognise  hereafter. 

The  series  is  continued  on  the  other  (southern) 
side  of  the  choir  (a  little  later  in  date,  with 
names  in  Latin  underneath ; better  modelled, 
but  neither  so  quaint  nor  so  vigorous).  The 
subjects  begin  by  the  grill  of  the  south  tran- 
sept, with  the  ^‘Noli  me  tangere,”  or  Appari- 
tion to  Mary  Magdalen  (Christ  as  a gardener) ; 
the  Apparition  to  the  Marys ; to  Simon  Peter ; 
to  the  Disciples  at  Emmaus  (dressed  as  medi- 
aeval pilgrims) ; to  the  Eleven  Apostles ; to  the 
Ten  and  Thomas ; to  the  Eleven  by  the  sea  of 
Tiberius  ; to  the  Disciples  in  Galilee ; and  on 
the  Mount  of  Olives.  The  intervening  and 
remaining  subjeets  — Scourging,  Crucifixion, 
Ascension,  etc.  — were  ruthlessly  destroyed  by 
Louis  XIV.,  in  order  to  carry  out  his  supposed 
improvements  in  accordance  with  the  vow  of  his 
father,  Louis  XIII.  The  woodwork  of  the 
choir-stalls,  executed  by  his  order,  is  celebrated, 
and  uninteresting.  You  may  omit  it.  The 
treasury  contains  little  of  artistie  value.  The 
crown  of  thorns  still  figures  in  its  inventory. 


48 


Paris. 


Leave  the  choir  by  the  door  by  which  you 
entered  it,  and  seat  yourself  for  awhile  at  the 
intersection  of  the  nave  and  transepts,  in  order 
to  gain  a good  idea  of  the  apse,  the  choir,  and 
the  general  arrangement  of  the  shortly  cruci- 
form building.  Observe  the  beautiful  vaulting 
of  the  roof,  and  the  extent  to  which  the  church 
is  borne  on  its  piers  alone,  the  intervening  walls 
(pierced  by  windows  and  triforium-arches)  being 
intended  merely  for  purposes  of  enclosure.  Note 
also  the  fine  ancient  glass  of  the  rose  windows. 
Quit  the  church  by  the  north  or  left  aisle,  and 
come  back  to  it  often. 

Those  who  are  not  afraid  of  a spiral  staircase, 
mostly  well  lighted,  should  ascend  the  left  or 
north  tower.  Stop  near  the  top  to  inspect  the 
gallery,  with  the  famous  birds  and  demons. 
The  view  hence  embraces  from  the  front  the 
Tower  of  St.  Jacques  ; behind  it,  the  hill  of 
Montmartre,  with  the  white  turrets  and  cupolas 
of  the  church  of  the  Sacre  Coeur  ; a little  to 
the  left,  St.  Eustache ; then  the  Tribunal  de 
Commerce ; St.  Augustin ; the  Louvre ; the 
roof  of  the  Sainte  Chapelle  ; the  Arc  de  Tri- 
omphe ; the  twin  towers  of  the  Trocadero  ; the 
Eiffel  Tower  ; the  gilded  dome  of  the  Invalides  ; 


PANORAMA  FROM  NOTRE  - DAME. 


Notre  - Dame. 


49 


St.  Sulpice,  etc.  The  He  de  la  Cite  is  well 
seen  hence  as  an  island.  Note  also  the  gigantic 
size  of  the  open  screen,  which  looked  so  small 
from  below.  Ascend  to  the  top.  Good  general 
panorama  of  the  town  and  valley.  This  is  the 
best  total  view  of  Paris,  far  superior  to  that 
from  the  Eiffel  Tower,  being  so  much  more 
central. 

Return  by  the  Pont  d’ Arcole  (whence  you  get 
a capital  notion  of  the  bifurcation  of  the  Seine 
around  the  He  St.  Louis),  and  then  pass  the 
modern  Hotel-de-Ville,  with  St.  Gervais  behind 
it,  on  your  way  home  to  the  Rue  de  Rivoli. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  ROMAN  PALACE  AND  THE  MUSfe  DE 
CLUNY. 

HE  earliest  overflow  of  Paris  was  from  the 


-A  He  de  la  Cite  to  the  left  or  south  bank 
{Rive  Gauche), 

The  reason  for  this  overflow  is  clear.  The 
city  was  situated  on  a small  island,  near  the 
head  of  navigation ; it  guarded  the  passage  of 
the  Seine  by  the  double  bridge.  Naturally, 
however,  at  a time  when  all  civilisation  lay  to 
the  south,  as  the  town  began  to  grow,  it  spread 
southward,  toward  Rome,  Lyons,  Marseilles, 
Bordeaux,  Toulouse,  Arles,  Nimes,  and  the 
Roman  culture.  To  the  north  at  that  time 
lay  nothing  but  comparative  barbarism, — the 
Britons  and  the  Germans  ; or  later,  the  English, 
the  Normans,  and  the  Teutonic  hordes.  Hence, 
from  a very  early  date,  Paris  first  ran  south* 
ward  along  the  road  to  Rome.  Already  in 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  51 

Roman  times  here  stood  the  palace  of  Con- 
stantins Chlorus  and  Julian,  now  the  Thermes, 
— the  fortress  which  formed  the  tete  du  poni 
for  the  city.  Later,  the  southern  suburb  became 
the  seat  of  learning  and  law ; it  was  known  by 
the  name  which  it  still  in  part  retains  of  the 
Universite,  but  is  oftener  now  called  the  Quartier 
Latin.  At  first,  however,  only  a small  portion 
of  the  Left  Bank  was  built  over.  But  gradually 
the  area  of  the  new  town  spread  from  the 
immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  old  Hotel-Dieu, 
with  its  church  or  chapel  of  St.  Julien-le-Pauvre, 
to  the  modern  limit  of  the  Boulevard  St.  Ger- 
main ; and  thence  again,  by  the  time  of  Louis 
Quatorze,  to  the  further  boulevards  just  south 
of  the  Luxembourg.  It  is  interesting  to  note, 
too,  that  all  this  southern  side,  long  known  as 
the  Universite,  still  retains  its  position  as  the 
learned  district.  Not  only  does  it  include  the 
students’  region  — the  Quartier  Latin  — with 
many  of  the  chief  artistic  studios,  but  it  em- 
braces in  particular  the  Sorbonne,  or  University, 
the  Institute  of  France,  with  its  various  branches 
(Academie  Frangaise,  Academie  des  Inscriptions 
et  Belles-Lettres,  Academie  des  Sciences,  des 
Beaux-Arts,  etc.),  the  Ecole  des  Beaux-Arts, 


Paris. 


52 

the  I^cole  de  Medecine,  the  College  de  France, 
the  Lycees  St.  Louis,  Louis-le-Grand,  and  Henri 
IV.,  the  Ecole  Polytechnique,  the  Ecole  des 
Mines,  the  Bibliotheque  Ste.  Genevieve,  the 
Jardin  des  Plantes,  and  the  Luxembourg  Museum 
of  Modern  Paintings.  In  short,  the  Left  Bank 
represents  literary,  scientific,  artistic,  and  edu- 
cational Paris,  — the  students  in  law,  arts,  and 
medicine,  with  their  own  subventioned  theatre, 
the  Odeon,  and  their  libraries,  schools,  labora- 
tories, and  cafes.  It  is  further  noticeable  that 
these  institutions  cluster  thickest  around  the 
older  part  of  the  southern  suburb,  just  opposite 
the  Cite,  while  almost  all  of  them  lie  within  the 
limits  of  the  outer  boulevards  of  Louis  XIV. 

The  Quartier  Latin  surrounds  the  Sorbonne, 
and  is  traversed  by  the  modern  Boulevard  St. 
Michel.  The  Faubourg  St.  Germain,  immedi- 
ately to  the  west  of  it,  surrounding  the  old 
Abbey  of  St.  Germain-des-Prds,  is  of  rather 
later  date ; it  owes  its  origin  in  large  part  to 
the  Renaissance  spirit,  and  especially  to  Marie 
de  Medicis’s  palace  of  the  Luxembourg.  It  is 
still  the  residence  of  many  of  the  old  nobility, 
and  is  regarded  as  the  distinctively  aristocratic 
quarter  of  Paris,  in  the  restricted  sense,  while 


Roman  Palace  and  Mnsee  de  Cluny.  53 

the  district  lying  around  the  Champs  Elys^es  is 
rather  plutocratic  and  modern  than  noble  in  the 
older  signification  of  the  word. 

The  visitor  will  therefore  bear  in  mind  dis- 
tinctly that  the  South  Side  is  the  Paris  of  the 
students. 

The  primitive  nucleus  of  the  suburb  on  the 
South  Side  consists  of  the  Roman  fortress 
palace,  the  tete  dtc  pout  of  the  Left  Bank,  now 
known  as  the  Thermes,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
its  principal  existing  remains  include  only  the 
ruins  of  the  baths  or  thei^mce.  This  colossal 
building,  probably  erected  by  Constantins  Chlo- 
rus,  the  father  of  Constantine,  covered  an 
enormous  area  south  of  the  river.  After  the 
Frankish  conquest,  it  still  remained  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Merwing  and  Karling  kings  on 
the  rare  occasions  when  they  visited  Paris;  and 
it  does  not  seem  to  have  fallen  into  utter  decay 
till  a comparatively  late  date  in  the  Middle 
Ages.  With  the  Norman  irruptions,  however, 
and  the  rise  of  the  real  French  monarchs  under 
Fudes  and  the  Capets,  the  new  sovereigns  found 
it  safest  to  transfer  their  seat  to  the  Palace  on 
the  island,  now  the  Palais  de  Justice,  and  the 
Roman  fortress  was  gradually  dismantled.  In 


54 


Paris. 


1340  the  gigantic  ruins  came  into  the  hands  of 
the  powerful  Benedictine  Abbey  of  Cluny,  near 
Macon,  in  Burgundy;  and  about  1480,  the 
abbots  began  to  erect  on  the  spot  a town 
mansion  for  themselves,  which  still  bears  the 
name  of  the  Hotel  de  Cluny.  The  letter  K, 
the  mark  of  Charles  VIII.  (1483-1498),  occurs 
on  many  parts  of  the  existing  building,  and 
fixes  its  epoch.  The  house  was  mostly  built 
by  Jacques  d’Amboise,  abbot,  in  1490.  The 
style  is  late  Gothic,  with  Renaissance  features. 
The  abbots,  however,  seldom  visited  Paris, 
and  they  frequently  placed  their  town  house, 
accordingly,  at  the  disposition  of  the  kings  of 
France.  Mary  of  England,  sister  of  Henry 
VIIL,  and  widow  of  Louis  XIL,  occupied  it 
thus  in  1515,  soon  after  its  completion.  It 
was  usual  for  the  queens  of  France  to  wear 
white  as  mourning ; hence  her  apartment  is 
still  known  as  the  Chambre  de  la  reine 
blanche. 

At  the  Revolution,  when  the  property  of  the 
monasteries  was  confiscated,  the  H6tel  de  Cluny 
was  sold,  and  passed  at  last,  in  1833,  into  the 
hands  of  M.  du  Sommerard,  a zealous  antiquary, 
who  began  the  priceless  collection  of  works  of 


MUSEE  DE  CLUNY. 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  55 

art  which  it  contains.  He  died  in  1842,  and 
the  Government  then  bought  the  house  .and 
museum,  and  united  it  with  the  Roman  ruin  at 
its  back  under  the  title  of  Mtisee  des  Thermes  et 
de  r Hotel  de  Chmy.  Since  that  time  many- 
further  objects  have  been  added  to  the  collec- 
tion. 

At  Cluny  the  actual  building  forms  one  of 
the  most  interesting  parts  of  the  sight,  and  is 
in  itself  a museum.  It  is  a charming  specimen 
of  a late  mediaeval  French  mansion  ; and  the 
works  of  art  it  contains  are  of  the  highest 
artistic  value.  I am  able  briefly  to  describe 
only  what  seem  to  me  the  most  important  out 
of  its  many  thousands  of  beautiful  exhibits.  At 
least  two  whole  days  should  be  devoted  to 
Cluny  — one  to  the  lower  and  one  to  the  upper 
floor.  Much  more,  if  possible. 

Go  to  the  Place  du  Chatelet ; cross  the 
bridge,  and  the  He  de  la  Cite ; also,  the  Pont 
St.  Michel  to  the  South  Side.  Good  view  of 
Notre-Dame  to  the  left  In  front  lies  the 
modern  Boulevard  St.  Michel,  with  the  Fom 
taine  St.  Michel  in  the  foreground  (the  statue 
by  Duret).  Continue  along  the  boulevard  till 
you  reach  the  Boulevard  St.  Germain,  another 


56 


Paris. 


great  modern  thoroughfare  which  cuts  right 
through  the  streets  of  the  old  Faubourg  and 
the  narrow  alleys  of  the  Latin  Quarter.  The 
garden  at  the  corner  contains  all  that  remains 


of  the  Roman  Palace.  Notice  its  solid  masonry 
as  you  pass.  Then,  take  the  first  turn  to  the 
left,  the  Rue  du  Sommerard,  which  leads  you 
at  once  to  the  door  of  the  museum. 

Notice  the  late  semi-Gothic  gateway,  resem- 
bling that  of  an  Oxford  college.  Pass  through 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  57 

the  flat-arched  gate  into  the  handsome  court- 
yard. To  the  left  is  a late  Gothic  loggia,  con- 
taining a few  antiques.  In  front  stands  the 
main  building,  with  square  windows  and  high 
dormers,  bearing  the  staff  and  pilgrim’s  scal- 
lop, the  symbol  of  St.  James,  with  the  cardinal’s 
hat  and  scutcheons  and  devices  of  the  family 
D’Amboise,  thus  indicating  the  name  of  Jacques 
d’Amboise,  the  abbot  who  built  it.  Entrance 
to  the  right.  Open  free,  daily,  1 1 to  4 or  5,  ex- 
cept Mondays. 

The  first  suite  of  rooms  which  we  enter  form 
some  of  the  apartments  of  the  original  building. 
Observe  the  fine  timbered  ceilings. 

Room  I.  — ■ Panels,  etc.,  in  wood-carving. 

Room  IL  — * Fine  French  chimneypiece,  by 
Hugues  Lallement,  dated  1562,  representing 
Christ  and  the  Woman  of  Samaria  at  the  well, 
brought  from  a house  at  Chalons-sur-Marne.  On 
the  right  and  left  of  entrance  ( Wall  A on  plan), 
wooden  seatSy  with  canopy,  holding  good  Gothic 
wood-carvings.  Notice  on  the  left  of  door,  a 
Deposition  in  the  Tomb;  (801)  Madonna  and 
Child  ; then.  Birth  of  the  Virgin,  with  St.  Anne 
in  a bed ; and  below,  head  of  a Saint,  hollow, 
intended  to  contain  her  skull  or  relics.  Near  it 


58 


Paris. 


(762),  decapitation  of  St.  John  Baptist,  German, 
sixteenth  century;  and  (789)  Death  of  the  Virgin. 
On  the  right  of  doorway,  three  reliquary  heads, 
and  (783  and  784)  two  groups  of  the  Education 
of  the  Virgin.  Above,  several  representations 
of  the  Circumcision.  Wall  B,  between  the 
windows,  (745)  quaint  reliquary  head  of  St. 
Mabile,  one  of  St.  Ursula’s  11,000  virgins,  the 
hair  gilt,  Italian,  fifteenth  century  ; near  it, 
Angel  of  the  Annunciation ; Madonna  and 
Child;  and  Flight  into  Egypt.  Fine  wooden 
chests.  In  the  cases,  collections  of  shoes,  un- 
interesting. 

Room  III. — Wood-carving,  more  or  less 
Gothic.  Wall  A (788),  Madonna  supporting 
the  dead  Christ,  under  a canopy,  sixteenth 
century;  (816)  Holy  Women,  with  small  figure 
of  the  donor,  kneeling ; (709)  large  carved  altar- 
piece,  end  of  fifteenth  century ; in  the  centre. 
Crucifixion  with  quaintly  brutal  Roman  sol- 
diers, fainting  Madonna,  and  Holy  Women  in 
fantastic  head-dresses  of  the  period ; below. 
Nativity,  and  Adoration  of  the  Magi ; on  the 
left  side,  above.  Flagellation,  with  grotesquely 
cruel  soldiers ; beneath  it,  angels  displaying  the 
napkin  of  St.  Veronica ; on  the  right  side, 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  59 

above,  Deposition  in  the  Tomb ; beneath  it, 
angels  supporting  the  instruments  of  the  Pas- 
sion, — a splendid  piece  of  Flemish  carving. 
Above,  two  statues  of  St.  George.  Further  on 
(712),  votive  triptych  against  the  plague,  Flem- 
ish, carved,  with  painted  flaps  on  the  doors  ; 
on  the  left,  St.  Sebastian,  with  arrows  of  the 
pestilence ; on  the  right,  St.  Roch  exhibiting  his 
plague-spot,  with  angel  who  consoled  him  and 
dog  who  fed  him  (see  the  legend  in  Mrs.  Jame- 
son) ; centre.  Adoration  of  the  Magi ; the  three 
kings  represent,  as  usual,  the  three  ages  of  man, 
and  also  the  three  old  continents,  Europe,  Asia, 
Africa  ; hence  the  youngest  king  is  represented 
as  a Moor.  Other  episodes  (Flight  into  Egypt, 
Return  of  Magi,  etc.)  in  the  background,  — late 
fifteenth  century.  Wall  B,  first  window,  stained 
glass,  German  panes,  fifteenth  century.  Annunci- 
ation, in  two  panels  (i960  and  1957).  Beyond  it 
(830),  in  woodwork,  sixteenth  century.  Corona- 
tion of  the  Virgin  by  Christ  and  God  the  Father, 
— a somewhat  unusual  treatment.  Above  (758), 
Stem  of  Jesse,  representing  the  descent  of  Christ; 
notice  David  with  his  harp  and  other  kings  of 
Israel ; late  fifteenth  century.  Second  window 
(1958  and  1959),  St.  Hubert  and  St.  Lambert, 


6o 


Paris. 


companions  to  the  Annunciation;  (721)  dainty 
little  Crucifixion  (sixteenth  century),  in  coloured 
German  wood-carving;  (1686)  Flemish  painting, 
school  of  Van  Eyck,  Crucifixion.  Wall  Dy 
windows  (1961  and  1962),  St.  Peter  and  St. 
George;  (1963  and  1964)  St.  Hubert  and  St. 
Antony  Abbot,  with  his  pig,  staff,  and  bell. 
Wall  Cy  altar-piece,  unnumbered  ; subjects 
much  as  opposite  ; centre.  Crucifixion  ; beneath 
it.  Nativity,  Adoration  of  Magi.  On  the  left. 
Way  to  Calvary  (with  grotesquely  brutal  sol- 
diers) ; beneath  it.  Annunciation  (notice  the 
prie-dieUy  book,  and  bed  in  the  background) 
and  Visitation  ; on  the  right.  Descent  from  the 
Cross,  with  St.  John  and  the  Marys  ; beneath 
it.  Circumcision,  and  Presentation  in  the 
Temple.  (710)  Deposition  from  the  Cross, 
very  good,  with  painted  wings  from  the  Pas- 
sion. All  the  wood-carvings  in  this  room 
deserve  careful  attention.  Inspect  them  all, 
and,  as  far  as  possible,  discover  their  subjects. 

Room  IV.  — F'ine  Renaissance  chimney- 
piece,  by  Hugues  Lallement,  sixteenth  century, 
representing  Actaeon  transformed  into  a stag 
by  Diana,  whom  he  has  surprised  in  the  act  of 
bathing.  (Subjects  from  the  myth  of  Diana 


RENAISSANCE  CHIMNEYPIECE  BY  HUGUES  LALLEMENT, 


7*  -.W' 


'-■'■  * *•'  • ■ • y.. 


.-s 


« 


THt 


-■ 

,-i 

. ' 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  6i 

are  favourites  with  the  French  Renaissance  art- 
ists, owing  to  the  influence  of  Diane  de  Poitiers.)^ 
From  Chalons-sur-Marne,  same  house  as  that  in 
Room  II.  Wall  A (1779  i778),  Renais- 

sance classical  paintings,  part  of  a large  series 
continued  elsewhere ; (1428)  flne  Renaissance 
carved  cabinet  (Diana  and  Chimaeras) ; con- 
trast this  and  neighbouring  Renaissance  work 
with  the  mediaeval  carvings  in  adjacent  rooms. 
Wall  B (6329),  quaint  old  Flemish  tapestry, 
representing  the  Angels  appearing  to  the  Shep- 
herds ; the  Nativity ; the  Adoration  of  the 
Magi ; and  the  Agony  in  the  Garden.  Study 
the  arrangement  of  all  these  flgures,  which  are 
conventional,  and  will  reappear  in  many  other 
examples  of  various  arts.  Wall  Q to  the  right 
and  left  of  fireplace,  good  Renaissance  wood- 
carving. Wall  D,  fine  cabinets.  In  the  cases, 
medals. 

Room  V.,  to  the  side.  Debased  Italian  and 
Spanish  work  of  the  seventeenth  and  eight- 
eenth centuries.  In  the  centre.  Adoration  of 
the  Magi,  a meretricious  Neapolitan  group  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  intended  to  place  in  a 
church  as  a Christmas  berceau.  The  costumes 
of  the  three  kings,  representing  the  three  con- 


tinents,  the  ruined  temple  in  which  the  action 
takes  place,  and  the  antique  statue  in  the  back- 
ground of  the  Madonna  and  St.  Joseph,  should 
all  be  noticed.  Contemptible  as  a work  of  art, 
this  florid  composition  of  dolls  is  interesting 
and  valuable  for  its  spirited  arrangement,  and 
for  the  light  it  casts  on  the  conception  of  the 
subject.  The  room  also  contains  other  similar 
church  furniture  of  the  seventeenth  and  eight- 
eenth centuries.  Observe  their  theatrical 
tinsel  style,  and  their  affected  pietism,  as  con- 
trasted with  the  simplicity,  naivete,  and  truth 
of  earlier  periods.  Take,  as  an  extreme  exam- 
ple of  this  tendency,  the  relief  of  the  Annuncia- 
tion on  Wall  Dy  to  the  right  of  the  entrance 
door,  and  compare  it  with  examples  of  the  same 
subject  in  other  rooms  of  the  collection.  Wall 
By  facing  the  entrance,  good  case  of  miscella- 
neous wood  work,  containing  excellent  Spanish 
art  of  this  bad  period,  — a Last  Supper,  a St. 
Francis  receiving  the  Stigmata,  a Massacre 
of  the  Innocents,  the  Faint  of  St.  Catherine, 
St.  Antony  the  Abbot,  St.  Antony  of  Padua 
carrying  the  infant  Christ,  and  other  figures. 
A large  ^ilt  tabernacle,  on  Wall  Cy  also  con- 
tains a debased  figure  of  St.  Antony  of  Padua, 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  63 

from  an  altar  dedicated  to  the  saint.  Identify 
as  many  of  these  saints  as  possible,  and  re- 
member their  symbols. 

We  now  quit  the  older  suite  of  apartments, 
and  enter  a large  central  glass-covered  court,  — 
Room  VI.,  entirely  modern.  The  corridor  is 
occupied  by  early  altar  paintings,  for  the  most 
part  of  little  value.  Notice  on  the  left,  by  the 
staircase  (1701),  a Giottesque  Madonna  and  Child, 

— Florentine,  fifteenth  century.  Near  it  (1666), 
two  oval  panels,  representing  the  Annuncia- 
tion, divided  (as  frequently  happens  with  this 
subject)  into  two  distinct  portions,  and  proba- 
bly flanking  a doorway  in  their  original  position, 

— Italian,  fourteenth  century.  All  the  paint- 
ings on  this  wall,  mostly  unsatisfactory  as  works 
of  art,  are  valuable  for  their  symbolism  and  the 
light  they  throw  on  the  evolution  of  their  sub- 
jects. For  example : (1676),  between  the 
Annunciation  pictures,  represents  the  distribu- 
tion of  holy  wine  which  has  touched  the  relics 
(I  think)  of  St.  Hubert.  Further  on,  we  have 
a group  of  six  Apostles  ; beginning  from  the 
right,  St.  Peter  with  the  keys,  St.  John  Evan- 
gelist with  the  cup  and  serpent,  St.  Andrew 
with  his  cross,  St.  Bartholomew  with  his  knife. 


64 


Paris. 


St.  James  the  Greater  with  the  pilgrim’s  staff 
and  scallop,  and  St.  James  the  Less  with  a 
crosier  and  book.  To  the  right  of  the  stair- 
case is  a stone  figure  of  St.  Denis  bearing  his 
head,  French,  fifteenth  century  ; also,  a good 
statue  of  the  Madonna,  a little  later.  Above 
the  doorway,  on  the  right,  are  portions  of  a 
large  Spanish  altar-piece ; in  the  centre,  the 
Crucifixion  ; extreme  right.  Assumption  of  the 
Virgin,  etc.  Beyond  it  comes  the  continuation 
of  the  tabernacle  already  noticed,  containing 
the  six  remaining  Apostles,  with  the  symbols  of 
their  martyrdom.  Next,  a fine  Spanish  altar- 
piece  of  the  fifteenth  century,  from  a church 
of  St.  Martin ; in  the  centre,  St.  Martin  divid- 
ing his  cloak  with  the  beggar ; around  it  various 
other  subjects,  among  them  St.  Antony  with 
his  pig,  St.  Stephen  in  deacon’s  robes,  with  the 
stones  of  his  martyrdom,  St.  Jerome  in  the  des- 
ert, beating  his  bosom  with  a flint  before 
the  crucifix,  St.  Francis  displaying  the  stigmata 
or  five  wounds  of  Christ,  St.  Paul  the  hermit 
with  his  lion,  etc.  To  the  right,  toward  the 
courtyard,  a fine  figure  of  Adam  from  St. 
Denis,  a splendid  example  of  the  best  French 
nude  sculpture  of  the  fourteenth  century. 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  65 

We  now  enter  the  covered  courtyard  of 
Room  VI.  proper,  filled  with  fine  examples 
of  French  mediaeval  sculpture.  Several  of  the 
objects  bear  labels  sufficiently  descriptive.  I 
will  therefore  call  attention  to  only  a few  among 
them.  Wall  Dy  two  wooden  Flemish  statues 
(Our  Lady  and  St.  John  at  Calvary),  on  the 
right  and  left  of  the  doorway;  (417)  carved 
marble  monument  of  the  tenth  or  eleventh 
century  ; very  fine  workmanship,  with  distinct 
reminiscences  of  the  antique.  Wall  Ay  * mag- 
nificent stone  frieze  or  reredos,  originally  gilt 
and  coloured,  representing  the  history  of  St. 
Benedict,  from  St.  Denis  ; in  the  centre.  Baptism 
in  Jordan  (compare  the  relief  of  the  same  sub- 
ject in  Notre-Dame)  ; right  and  left,  preaching 
and  miracles  of  St.  Benedict  (overthrow  of  idols, 
cure  of  a dying  woman).  Middle  of  wall  (6328), 
fine  Italian  tapestry,  sixteenth  century,  rep- 
resenting the  Adoration  of  the  Magi ; observe 
the  attitude  of  the  kings,  together  with  the  ox 
and  ass  in  the  background,  invariable  concomi- 
tants of  the  Nativity  in  art.  Beneath  (728), 
early  wooden  Madonna  (thirteenth  century, 
Auvergne),  with  Byzantine  aspect.  Beautiful 
Romanesque  capitals.  — Creation  of  Eve,  etc. 


66 


Paris. 


Wall  By  *(237),  exquisite  stone  frieze  or  rere- 
dos  from  the  church  of  St.  Germer,  about  1259, 
much  mutilated,  but  originally  one  of  the  most 
perfect  specimens  of  French  thirteenth  cen- 
tury carving ; it  still  betrays  traces  of  colour. 
In  the  centre,  Crucifixion,  with  Virgin  and  St. 
John  : on  either  side  (as  at  Notre-Dame),  the 
Church,  with  cross  and  chalice,  and  the  Syna- 
gogue, with  eyes  blinded  : then,  on  the  right 
and  left  of  cross,  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul : beyond 
them.  Annunciation  and  Visitation : finally, 
on  the  left,  St.  Ouen,  uncle  of  St.  Germer, 
cures  a wounded  warrior ; on  the  right,  St.  Ger- 
mer asks  leave  of  King  Dagobert  to  found  the 
abbey  from  which  this  came.  Above  it  (509), 
exquisitely  grotesque  relief  of  the  Resurrection 
with  sleeping  Roman  soldiers,  one  of  a set  in 
alabaster,  French  fourteenth  century  (500  to 
512),  all  of  which  deserve  to  be  inspected; 
meanings  of  all  are  obvious  except  (501)  St. 
Ursula.  Still  higher,  fragment  of  the  original 
Last  Judgment  on  the  central  west  door  of 
Notre-Dame,  Paris,  before  the  restoration, — 
interesting  as  showing  the  grounds  on  which 
Viollet-le-Duc  proceeded;  (6322)  tapestry,  Ar- 
ras, fifteenth  century,  various  scriptural  subjects, 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  67 

confused,  but  decipherable.  Beneath  it,  to  the 
left,  * beautiful  stone  relief  (reredos)  of  the 
legend  of  St.  Eustace,  from  the  church  of 
St.  Denis,  — a fine  French  work  of  the  foun 
teenth  century.  In  the  centre,  Crucifixion  ; ex- 
treme left,  St.  Eustace,  hunting,  is  converted 
by  the  apparition  of  the  Christ  between  the 
horns  of  the  stag  he  is  pursuing ; further  to 
the  right,  his  baptism,  nude,  in  a font,  as  in  all 
early  representations ; still  further  to  the  right, 
his  trials  and  history ; while  he  crosses  a river 
with  his  children,  a wolf  seizes  one,  while  a 
lion  devours  the  other ; last  of  all,  reunited  mi- 
raculously with  his  family,  he  and  they  are 
burned  alive  as  martyrs  by  the  Emperor  Trajan, 
in  a brazen  bull.  Observe  nai’f  boy  with  bel- 
lows. The  whole  most  delicately  and  grace- 
fully sculptured.  Next,  coloured  stone  relief  of 
the  Passion,  — French  fourteenth  century  ; sub- 
jects, from  right  to  left,  the  kiss  of  Judas  (ob- 
serve Peter  drawing  the  sword)  ; Flagellation ; 
Bearing  the  Cross,  with  Simon  of  Cyrene ; 
Deposition  in  the  Tomb;  Resurrection;  and 
Christ  in  Hades,  delivering  Adam  and  Eve 
from  the  jaws  of  death,  realistically  represented 
here  and  elsewhere  as  the  mouth  of  a monster ; 


68 


Paris. 


notice  in  this  work  the  colour  and  the  Gothic 
architecture  and  decoration  of  the  background, 
which  help  one  to  understand  features  that  are 
missing  in  many  other  of  these  reredoses.  Then, 
stone  relief  of  the  Annunciation,  Visitation,  and 
Nativity,  very  simply  treated  : notice  the  usual 
ox  and  ass  in  the  manger.  Above  it  * (4763), 
good  mosaic  of  the  Madonna  and  Child  with 
adoring  angels,  by  Davide  Ghirlandajo,  of  Flor- 
ence, placed  by  the  President  Jean  de  Ganay  (as 
the  inscription  attests)  in  the  church  of  St. 
Merri  at  Paris.  Wall  C (513-518),  interesting 
alabaster  reliefs  of  the  Passion,  French,  four- 
teenth century.  Between  them.  Coronation  of 
the  Virgin,  French,  fifteenth  century.  (725) 
Good  wooden  figure  of  St.  Louis,  covered  with 
fleur-de-lis  in  gold,  from  the  Sainte  Chapelle. 
Here  is  the  door  which  leads  to  the  Musee  des 
Thermes.  Pass  it  by  for  the  present.  Beyond 
it,  continuation  of  the  alabaster  reliefs  (514  and 
and  517),  etc.  : examine  them  closely.  Between 
them  (435),  Circumcision,  in  marble,  early  fif 
teenth  century,  French,  full  of  character. 
Beneath  it  (429,  etc.),  admirable  figures  of 
mourners,  from  the  tomb  of  Philippe  le  Hardi, 
at  Dijon,  fourteenth  century.  Wall  D,  again 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  69 

(1291),  terra-cotta,  coloured:  Madonna  and  St. 
Joseph,  with  angels,  adoring  the  Child  (child 
missing),  ox  and  ass  in  background  ; on  the 
right.  Adoration  of  Magi ; notice  once  more  the 
conventional  arrangement : on  the  left.  Marriage 
of  the  Virgin,  a high  priest  joining  her  hand  to 
Joseph’s,  all  under  Gothic  canopies,  fifteenth 
century,  from  the  chapel  of  St.  Eloy,  near  Ber- 
nay,  Eure.  I omit  many  works  of  high  merit. 

The  centre  of  this  room  is  occupied  by  sev- 
eral good  statues.  Examine  each  ; the  descrip- 
tive labels  are  usually  sufficient.  A noble 
* St.  Catherine  ; St.  Barbara  with  her  tower  ; St. 
Sebastian,  pierced  with  the  holes  where  the 
arrows  have  been ; a beautiful  long-haired 
wooden  Madonna ; a fine  Pisan  Angel  of  the 
Annunciation,  in  wood,  etc.  Also,  several  ex- 
cellent figures  of  Our  Lady.  The  large  part 
played  by  the  Madonna  in  this  room,  indeed,  is 
typical  of  her  importance  in  France,  and  espe- 
cially in  Paris,  from  the  thirteenth  century  on- 
ward. The  church  of  Notre-Dame  is  partly  a 
result,  partly  a cause,  of  this  special  cult  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin. 

Room  VII.  (beyond  the  corridor,  a modern 
covered  courtyard).  — Tapestries  and  textile 


70 


Paris. 


fabrics,  interesting  chiefly  to  ladies.  On  Wall 
A,  and  others,  Flemish  tapestry,  representing 
the  history  of  Bathsheba,  much  admired  and 
very  ugly ; compare  it  with  the  tapestry  of  the 
Lady  and  the  Unicorn,  to  be  visited  later  in 
Room  III.,  upstairs,  contrasting  them  as  models 
of  what  such  work  should  and  should  not  be. 
Wall  By  admirable  Renaissance  relief  of  the 
Cardinal  Virtues.  Above  it,  a good  Madonna, 
and  figures  of  Grammar  and  Astronomy.  Wall 
Cy  caryatid  of  inferior  art,  French,  sixteenth 
century.  **  (448)  Admirable  group  of  the 
Three  Fates,  attributed  to  Germain  Pilon,  the 
great  French  sculptor  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
whom  we  shall  meet  again  at  the  Louvre,  — a 
fine  specimen  of  the  plastic  art  of  the  Renais- 
sance, said  to  represent  Diane  de  Poitiers  and 
her  daughters.  Below  **  (447),  exquisite  Re- 
naissance bas-relief  of  the  huntress  Diana,  of 
the  school  of  Jean  Goujon,  again  in  allusion  to 
Diane  de  Poitiers.  (478)  Good  mask  of  the 
same  epoch.  (251)  Virgin  and  Child,  mere- 
tricious ; in  the  decadent  style  of  the  sixteenth 
century ; very  French  in  type,  foreshadowing 
the  Louis  XV.  spirit,  — the  Madonna  resembles 
a little-reputable  court  lady.  Wall  D (463, 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  71 

etc.),  Judgment  of  Solomon,  Solomon  and  the 
Queen  of  Sheba,  Annunciation,  and  other  reliefs 
in  the  florid  and  least  pleasing  French  style  of 
the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries.  Table 
by  the  doorway  (449),  exquisite  small  marble 
statue  of  the  Deserted  Ariadne  (perhaps  Diane 
de  Poitiers),  in  the  best  Renaissance  manner, 
probably  by  Germain  Pilon  : found  in  the  Loire, 
near  Diane's  chateau  of  Chaumont.  Beside 
it,  three  sleeping  Venuses,  one  of  which  is  also 
said  to  be  Diane  de  Poitiers,  the  goddess  of  the 
Renaissanee  in  Paris.  On  the  left  of  the  door- 
way (457)  is  a singular  marble  relief  of  Christ 
and  the  Magdalen  after  the  Resurrection  (Noli 
me  tangere) ; the  Saviour  strangely  represented, 
as  often,  in  a gardener’s  hat  and  with  a spade ; 
in  the  background,  angels  by  the  empty  sepul- 
chre ; Flemish,  florid  style  of  the  sixteenth 
century.  Beside  it  (467  and  468),  two  exquisite 
Renaissance  reliefs  of  Venus.  In  front  of  it, 
on  the  table  * (479),  Entombment,  with  the 
body  of  Christ  placed  in  the  sarcophagus  by 
Joseph  of  Arimathea  and  Nicodemus,  — por- 
traits, I think,  of  the  donors. 

Room  VIII. — Textile  fabrics  and  ecclesiasti- 
cal robes.  Wall  B,  on  the  left  of  door  (487), 


72 


Paris. 


pretty  but  meretricious  little  group  of  Venus 
and  Cupids,  with  grapes,  French  style  of  the 
seventeenth  century ; the  national  taste  still 
more  distinctly  showing  itself.  To  the  right 
of  door  (459),  in  two  separate  figures,  a 
quaint  Annunciation,  — French,  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, frankly  anachronistic.  Close  by  (464), 
the  Judgment  of  Solomon,  same  school  and 
period.  Above  (563),  clever  small  alabaster 
group  of  the  Rape  of  the  Sabines,  after  Gio- 
vanni da  Bologna.  These  all  stand  on  a hand- 
some French  carved  chest  of  the  sixteenth 
century.  Wall  C,  greatly  worn  altar-relief  of 
the  Adoration  of  the  Magi,  from  the  chapel  of  the 
Chateau  d’Anet,  French  Renaissance,  sixteenth 
century.  Above  it  (446),  Mary  Magdalen, 
kneeling,  with  long  hair  and  the  alabaster  box 
of  ointment,  — her  symbol  in  art,  — fifteenth 
century,  curious.  At  the  back,  gilt  and  painted 
figures  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  from  the  demol- 
ished church  of  St.  Marcel  at  Paris,  seventeenth 
century.  Similar  representations  of  the  Trinity, 
showing  the  three  Persons,  thus,  are  common 
in  Italian  art.  Further  on  (493),  good  figure 
of  a shepherd,  French,  sixteenth  century. 
Wall  A (266),  curious  altar  back,  Herod  order- 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  73 

ing  the  Massacre  of  the  Innocents.  (267)  St. 
Eustace  crossing  the  river  (see  Room  VI.)  with 
the  lion  and  the  wolf  seizing  his  children.  A 
very  different  treatment  from  the  previous  one. 
(291)  A lintel  of  a chimney,  Flemish,  dated 
1555;  centre,  a river  god  ; left  and  right,  peli- 
can and  eagle;  between  the  figures.  Faith, 
Hope,  Charity,  and  Prudence.  (273)  Madonna 
and  Child  (Notre-Dame  de  TEsperance,  throned 
on  an  anchor).  On  the  wall  to  the  far  left, 
interesting  piece  of  French  fourteenth  century 
tapestry,  with  a legend  of  St.  Marcel  and  St. 
John  Evangelist,  most  naively  represented. 

Room  IX. — -State  coaches  and  Sedan  chairs 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  as  ugly  as  can  be 
imagined.  They  need  not  detain  you. 

The  staircase  to  the  first  floor  is  in  the 
corridor  to  Room  VL  Observe  the  staircase 
itself,  in  carved  wood,  bearing  the  arms  of 
France  and  Navarre,  and  also  the  crowned 
initials  of  Henri  IV.  and  Marie  de  Medicis.  It 
was  formerly  in  the  old  Chambre  des  Comptes 
of  Paris,  and  was  reerected  here  at  the  instal- 
lation of  the  Museum. 

The  corridor  above  contains  arms  and  armour. 
At  the  head  of  the  staircase  (742),  very  quaint 


74 


Paris. 


Magdalen  in  wood  with  the  box  of  ointment ; 
German  in  style,  fifteenth  century;  observe  her 
long  hair,  here  twisted  and  plaited  with  Ger- 


MUSEE  DE  CLUNY  — FIRST  FLOOR. 


man  neatness.  (1466  and  1468)  Renaissance 
cabinets  in  ebony. 

Room  I.  — Gallery,  looking  down  on  the 
courtyard  of  Room  VI.,  below.  Wall  Dy  by 
which  you  enter;  tiles,  French  Renaissance. 
Wall  C,  first  case,  blue  Flemish  stoneware. 
Fine  wrought-iron  gates,  gilt.  In  front  of 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  75 

them,  female  satyr,  French,  eighteenth  century, 
very  characteristic  of  the  national  taste ; oppo- 
site it,  male  satyr,  the  same.  Second  case : 
Palissy  ware,  French,  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 
centuries.  This  fine  ware  is  full  of  Renaissance 
feeling.  Notice  particularly  (3140),  a Sacrifice 
of  Abraham;  (3145)  the  Baptism  in  Jordan, 
conventional  treatment;  (3139)  Judith  and 
Holofernes,  with  several  other  scriptural  scenes 
in  the  older  spirit ; intermingled  with  these  are 
classical  and  mythological  scenes,  displaying 
the  growing  love  for  the  nude ; observe  par- 
ticularly (3119),  a Venus  with  Cupids;  and 
another  dish  below  it,  unnumbered,  same  sub- 
ject; also,  a Creation  of  Eve;  (3131)  Susanna 
and  the  Elders,  and  other  scenes  of  similar 
character.  Observe  that  while  the  early  work 
is  purely  scriptural  or  sacred,  the  Renaissance 
introduces  classical  subjects.  Note,  too,  the 
frequent  scenes  of  the  Baptism  in  the  same 
connection.  Centre  (3102),  beautiful  vase  with 
lid,  of  the  period  of  Henri  II.  Study  all  the 
Palissy  ware.  Wall  B,  French  pottery  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  exhibiting  the  rapid  decline 
in  taste  under  Louis  XIV.  and  XV.,  especially 
as  regards  colour.  The  most  satisfactory  pieces 


76 


Paris. 


are  the  blue  and  white  dishes  with  royal  mono- 
grams, arms,  etc.  Second  case : Rouen  ware 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  far  superior  in  style 
and  tone  to  the  preceding.  Good  nude  figure 
of  Venus.  Wall  A,  Nevers  pottery,  delicate 
blue  and  white;  (3338)  figure  of  a page,  to 
support  a lamp.  Last  case  : Dutch  pottery. 
Delft,  eighteenth  century,  exhibiting  the  strong 
domestic  Dutch  tendency. 

Room  II.  — Also  galleries,  surrounding  a 
courtyard.  Exquisite  Italian  Renaissance  pot- 
tery. Wall  By  to  the  right  of  entrance,  beauti- 
ful Italian  specimens  of  Faenza  ware,  fifteenth 
and  sixteenth  centuries  (whence  the  word 
faience) ; these  should  be  closely  studied  in 
detail.  (2811)  Quaint  dish  with  Diana  as 
archer ; beside  it,  portraits.  (2824  and  2825) 
Decorative  plaques  with  heads  of  women.  (3949) 
St.  George  and  the  Dragon  in  green  pottery. 
Behind  it,  plate  with  admirable  portrait.  In 
the  same  case,  Judith  receiving  the  head  of 
Holofernes ; (3024)  Hercules  playing  the  lyre 
to  entice  Auge.  Wall  C,  first  case,  Deruta 
and  Chaffagiolo  ware  of  the  sixteenth  century. 
Exquisite  decorative  dishes  and  plaques  ; (2814) 
Act  aeon  changed  to  a stag  by  Diana.  (2849) 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  77 

Susanna  and  the  Elders.  (2887)  St.  Jerome 
in  the  desert,  with  his  lion.  (2895)  The  doubt- 
ing Thomas.  (2823)  Another  Actaeon.  Ob- 
serve frequent  repetition  of  certain  scenes. 
Fine  plates  with  arms  of  Medici,  Popes,  etc. 
Second  case : Deruta  ware,  still  more  splendid 
specimens,  many  of  them  with  remarkable  lustre. 
(2894)  Madonna  and  Child,  with  infant  St.  John 
of  Florence.  Other  plates  with  Mercury,  a 
sphinx,  a lion,  the  huntress  Diana,  a Moor’s 
head,  portraits,  and  decorative  designs.  Examine 
in  detail.  Wall  D,  first  case,  Casteldurante 
and  Gubbio  ware,  sixteenth  century.  (3007) 
Manius  Curtius  leaping  into  the  Forum.  (3015) 
Crucifixion,  with  the  sun  and  the  moon  dark- 
ened. (3004)  Daedalus  and  the  Minotaur. 
(3008)  Fine  conventional  design.  Other  plates 
have  heads  of  St.  Paul  and  mythological  persons, 
(2802)  A quaint  Temptation  of  St.  Antony. 
(2818)  Leda  and  the  Swan,  etc.  Second  case: 
Urbino  ware,  seventeenth  century.  Head  of 
Raphael,  and  delicate  Raphaelesque  scenes, 
instinct  with  the  later  Renaissance  feeling. 
(2961)  Perseus  and  Andromeda.  (3064)  Ex- 
pulsion from  Paradise  ; on  either  side.  Tempta- 
tion, and  Adam  eating  the  fruit.  (2872)  A 


78 


Paris. 


Baptism  in  Jordan.  Notice  again  the  mixture 
of  religious  and  mythological  scenes,  with  a 
preference  for  those  where  the  nude  is  permis- 
sible,— Judith  and  Holof ernes,  Orpheus,  etc. 
Wall  A,  a fine  Florentine  terra-cotta  bust  of 
the  young  St.  John,  patron  saint  of  the  city. 
More  Urbino  ware,  to  be  carefully  examined. 
The  greater  part  of  this  wall,  however,  is 
occupied  by  Della  Robbia  ware,  glazed  Flor- 
entine majolica  of  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth 
centuries.  (2794)  Fine  figure  of  St.  Michael. 
(2799)  Martyrdom  of  St.  Catherine,  the  wheels 
of  her  torture  broken  by  angels.  Above  it. 
Madonna  adoring  the  Child ; observe  in  this 
and  many  other  cases  the  beautiful  setting  of 
fruit  and  flowers,  characteristic  of  the  Della 
Robbias.  Beneath,  no  number,  the  Beheading 
of  St.  Catherine ; in  the  background,  angels 
conveying  her  soul  to  heaven.  (2795)  The 
infant  St.  John,  patron  saint  of  Florence. 
(2793)  Temperance,  with  flagon  and  patera. 
Then,  more  Urbino  ware,  very  fine  examples 
of  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century ; above 
them,  touching  Madonna  and  Child,  Della 
Robbia.  Wall  B,  again,  Castello  ware,  and 
Venetian  pottery,  fifteenth,  sixteenth,  and  seven- 


RENAISSANCE  CHIMNEYPIECE. 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  79 

teenth  centuries.  Apothecary’s  jars,  plaques, 
etc.,  extremely  beautiful. 

Room  III.  — A long  corridor.  Wall  A is 
entirely  occupijed  by  the  magnificent  suite  of 
six  early  French  tapestries,  known  as  ‘‘The 
Lady  and  the  Unicorn  ” (symbol  of  chastity), 
the  finest  work  of  its  sort  ever  executed.  They 
come  from  the  Chateau  de  Boussac,  and  belong 
to  the  second  half  of  the  fifteenth  century. 
The  Lady  is  represented  engaged  in  various 
domestic  pursuits  of  a woman  of  rank  of  her 
time,  always  accompanied  by  the  beast  of 
chastity.  The  colour  is  inexpressibly  lovely. 
Above  it,  similar  tapestry  representing  the 
history  of  St.  Stephen,  and  the  discovery  of 
his  relics.  Along  Wall  A,  on  the  right  of 
entrance  door  (774),  crowned  wooden  figure 
of  St.  Catherine,  holding  the  sword  of  her 
martyrdom,  her  broken  wheel  at  her  feet,  and 
trampling  upon  the  tyrant,  Maximian.  To  the  left 
of  door,  good  early  Madonna  and  Child  ; another 
St.  Catherine;  and  (760)  Magdalen,  described 
erroneously  (I  think)  as  Pandora.  Wall  B is 
mostly  occupied  by  a handsome  French  Renais- 
sance chimneypieee  (sixteenth  century),  brought 
here  from  a house  at  Rouen,  and  representing 


8o 


Paris. 


the  history  of  the  Casa  Santa  at  Loreto,  — its 
transport  over  the  sea  by  angels,  its  reception 
by  the  faithful,  and  worship  in  front  of  it.  The 

ceiling  above  also  comes  from  the  same  room. 

* <■ 

Wall  Cy  small  stained-glass  windows  of  various 
ages.  Examine  them  separately.  Wall  Dy 
large  enamelled  plaques  brought  from  Francois 
Premier’s  Chateau  of  Madrid,  in  the  Bois  de 
Boulogne,  stated  to  be  the  largest  enamels  in 
existence.  Beneath  them,  fine  wooden  statue 
of  the  Virgin  and  infant  Christ,  German,  fif- 
teenth century,  very  characteristic  in  its  flat 
features,  as  well  as  in  the  dress  and  treatment 
of  the  hair,  of  the  German  style  of  the  period. 
Compare  it  with  French  Madonnas  below.  The 
screens  toward  Wall  A contain  specimens  of 
fine  Renaissance  wood-carving.  Contrast  the 
finish  and  style  of  these  with  their  Gothic 
predecessors.  Notice,  near  the  chimneypiece 
(828),  an  Annunciation,  with  God  the  Father, 
wearing  a triple  crown  (like  the  Pope),  and 
the  Holy  Spirit  descending  upon  the  Madonna. 
Next  screen,  various  classical  scenes  in  the 
taste  of  the  Renaissance, — Judgment  of  Paris, 
Venuses,  and  Cupids,  etc.  Much  fine  nude 
Renaissance  detail.  Centre  case,  old  glass ; 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny,  8i 

notice,  in  particular  (4763),  fine  thirteenth 
century  Arab  mosque-lamp.  Further  on,  more 
Renaissance  wood-carving,  — Leda  and  the  Swan 
in  very  high  relief ; low  reliefs  of  classical  sub- 
jects and  decorative  panels.  All  these  works 
should  be  closely  studied  as  typically  illustrative 
of  Renaissance  feeling.  Cases  by  the  window 
( Wall  C)i  Limoges  and  other  enamels,  too 
numerous  to  treat  in  full  detail,  but  many  of 
them,  at  least,  should  be  closely  inspected  and 
comprehended  by  the  visitor.  Case,  next  the 
chimneypiece,  old  raised  enamels  (twelfth  and 
thirteenth  centuries),  enamelled  gold  reliquaries 
for  containing  bones  of  saints ; fine  crucifix, 
etc.  Notice  on  (4497),  the  Flight  into  Egypt, 
Peter  walking  on  the  Sea,  the  Adoration  of  the 
Magi,  and  the  Presentation  in  the  Temple;  on 
(4498),  the  Crucifixion,  and  the  Twelve  Apostles ; 
beneath  (4514),  enamelled  book-cover;  near  it. 
Crucifixion,  Adoration  of  the  Magi,  and  other 
figures.  Identify  as  many  of  these  as  possible, 
and  observe  their  archaic  striving  after  effects 
too  high  for  the  artist.  Second  case  : Limoges 
enamels,  more  modern  in  type  (fifteenth  cen- 
tury) : Madonna  holding  the  dead  Christ,  Cruci- 
fixion, Bearing  of  the  Cross,  and  other  scenes. 


82 


Paris. 


Notice  particularly  (4575),  little  triptych  with 
a Nativity,  Adoration  of  the  Magi,  and  Circum- 
cision, in  all  of  which  observe  the  conventional 
treatment.  Third  case : Limoges  enamels  of 
the  High  Renaissance  (sixteenth  and  seven- 
teenth centuries),  Raphaelesque  in  spirit,  better 
in  execution,  but  far  less  interesting ; good 
portraits  in  frames ; a fine  Flagellation,  and 
other  scenes  from  the  Passion ; above,  delicate 
Tazzas.  Observe  in  particular  (4628),  the 
Descent  into  Hell,  Christ  rescuing  Adam  and 
Eve  and  the  other  dead  from  Hades,  typically 
Renaissance.  On  the  far  side  of  the  case, 
remote  from  window,  a good  series  of  the 
Gospel  history,  — Marriage  of  the  Virgin,  An- 
nunciation, Birth  of  the  Virgin  (incorrectly 
labelled  Nativity),  etc.  Last  cases  : more  re- 
cent enamels.  Among  the  best  are,  in  the  last 
case  of  all,  the  Expulsion  from  Paradise,  and  a 
series  of  the  Gospel  history;  observe  particu- 
larly (4650),  Christ  and  the  Magdalen,  with  the 
usual  curious  disguise  as  a gardener.  I recom- 
mend, to  those  who  can  spare  the  time,  most 
attentive  detailed  study  of  the  subjects  and 
treatment  in  all  these  enamels,  many  of  which 
throw  much  light  on  similar  themes  treated  by 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  83 

other  arts  in  the  same  collection.  Several 
hours  should,  if  possible,  be  devoted  to  them. 

Room  IV.  contains  various  Mohammedan 
potteries,  exquisitely  decorative,  but  (owing  to 
the  general  absence  of  figure  subjects,  prohibited 
by  Islam)  requiring  comparatively  little  explana- 
tion. Occasional  animal  forms,  however,  occur 
in  the  midst  of  the  usually  decorative  arabesque 
patterns.  Wall  67,  to  the  left  of  entrance, 
charming  Rhodian  pottery  (made  by  Persian 
workmen),  in  prevailing  tones  of  blue  and  green, 
with  the  wonderful  Persian  feeling  for  colour. 
Wall  By  Hispano-Moorish  lustre  ware,  the  most 
exquisitely  beautiful  ever  manufactured.  The 
second  case  contains  several  lovely  specimens. 
Wall  Ay  Rhodian  ware  again.  Wall  Dy  Persian. 
The  reader  must  examine  these  minutely  for 
himself.  It  is  impossible  to  do  more  than  point 
out  their  beauty. 

Room  V.  — Jewish  works  of  art  of  the  Mid- 
dle Ages,  interesting  as  showing  the  wealth 
and  artistic  taste  of  the  mediaeval  Hebrews,  — 
phylacteries,  seven-branched  candlesticks,  gold- 
smiths’ work,  etc.  (188)  Chimneypiece  (Chris- 
tian) from  an  old  house  at  Le  Mans.  The 
groups  represent  the  three  ages  of  life : right 


84 


Paris. 


and  left,  the  two  sexes,  — man,  armed  ; woman, 
with  a ball  of  wool. 

Room  VI.  — Wall  C,  opposite  windows,  carved 
chest  (1360),  French,  seventeenth  century,  with 
figures  in  high  relief  of  the  Twelve  Apostles. 
The  paintings  above  it  (1704,  1707,  1714),  etc., 
are  the  fronts  of  similar  chests,  Florentine, 
fifteenth  century.  Such  boxes  were  commonly 
given  to  a bride  to  contain  her  trousseau  and 
household  linen.  For  instance,  one  (1710)  con- 
tains the  mythical  history  of  a betrothal  and 
wedding  (^neas  and  Lavinia).  The  others  have 
in  many  cases  similar  appropriate  subjects  from 
classical  story.  (1455)  Florentine  mosaic  cabi- 
net, in  the  worst  taste.  Beyond  it,  other  cabi- 
nets and  fronts  of  wedding  chests.  This  room 
also  contains  musical  instruments,  interesting 
as  illustrating  the  evolution  of  modern  forms. 
Also,  florid  Italian  inlaid  tables,  in  the  bad  ex- 
pensive taste  of  the  seventeenth  century.  In 
the  windows  stained  glass. 

Room  VII.  — Carved  oak  cabinets.  (1435) 
Good  Flemish  work  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

Room  VIII. — (189)  Carved  chimneypiece, 
similar  to  that  in  the  Jewish  room,  and  from  the 
same  house  ; marriage  scene,  allegorical.  Carved 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  85 

wooden’cabinets  and  portals,  all  interesting,  but 
requiring  little  description.  (1431)  Again  the 
favourite  Renaissance  device  of  Actaeon  and 
Diana.  Carved  oak  bed,  of  age  of  Frangois 
P*',  with  hangings  of  the  same  period.  (1509) 
Good  panel  of  a chair,  with  the  Presentation  of 
the  Virgin  in  the  Temple  by  Sts.  Joachim  and 
Anna ; above,  Nativity ; then  Adoration  of  the 
Magi,  and  Flight  into  Egypt ; on  the  front, 
patron  saints  of  the  owners. 

Room  IX.  — Magnificent  collection  of 
ivories  and  ebonies,  all  of  which  the  spectator 
should  examine  in  detail.  Nothing  in  this 
museum  is  more  interesting.  Notice,  for  ex- 
ample, the  beautiful  triptych**  (1081)  in  the 
centre  of  the  first  case  by  the  window  of 
Wall  D ; lower  tier.  Annunciation  ; Shepherds  ; 
Joseph  and  the  Madonna,  with  the  Babe  in  the 
manger ; and  Adoration  of  the  Magi ; upper 
tier.  Kiss  of  Judas,  Crucifixion,  and  Christ  and 
the  Magdalen  in  the  Garden  ; beautiful  Italian 
work  of  the  fourteenth  century.  To  the  left  of 
it  **(1088),  exquisite  coloured  triptych  with 
Madonna  and  Child ; on  the  left,  St.  Paul  (with 
his  sword)  and  St.  Catherine ; on  the  right  St. 
Peter  and  the  Magdalen  ; notice  their  symbols, 


86 


Paris. 


Several  small  ivories  in  the  same  case  should 
be  observed  carefully.  Below  the  large  triptych, 
for  example,  are  scenes  from  the  Passion  (not 
chronologically  arranged  in  their  existing  order), 
namely,  from  left  to  right,  Crown  of  Thorns, 
Scourging,  Resurrection,  Ascension,  Disciples 
at  Emmaus,  Apparition  to  the  three  Marys, 
Peter  on  the  Sea,  and  Christ  with  the  Magda- 
len ; very  naive  French  work  of  the  fifteenth 
century.  (718)  Exquisite  little  wood-carving  of 
the  Crucifixion,  with  scenes  from  the  Passion ; 
Spanish,  sixteenth  century.  Above  it  (7227), 
comb,  with  Adoration  of  the  Magi ; fourteenth 
century,  very  curious.  The  next  case  contains 
still  earlier  and  more  interesting  work.  In  the 
centre,  a triptych ; lower  tier.  Adoration  of 
the  Magi,  Madonna  with  angels.  Presentation 
in  the  Temple ; upper  tier.  Bearing  the  Cross, 
Crucifixion,  and  Descent  from  the  Cross ; ex 
quisite  French  work,  in  high  relief,  of  the  four- 
teenth century.  To  the  left  of  it  (1082),  scenes 
from  the  Passion,  Last  Supper,  Agony  in  the 
Garden,  Kiss  of  Judas  (with  Peter  cutting  off 
Malchus’s  ear),  Flag-ellation,  etc.  Each  com- 
partment here  consists  of  two  subjects,  which 
identify;  charming  French  work  of  the  four- 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  87 

teenth  century.  Above  it  (1085  and  1086),  secu- 
lar scenes,  life  in  a garden,  — fourteenth  century. 
To  the  right  of  the  triptych  (1065,  1063,  1066, 
1064),  legends  of  saints ; St.  Denis  beheaded 
and  bearing  his  head ; flagellation  of  an  un- 
known martyr,  who  takes  it  most  comfortably ; 
St.  Peter  crucified,  head  downward ; and  other 
episodes,  — charming  French  fourteenth  cen- 
tury work.  Examine  all  the  pieces  in  this  case 
carefully.  In  the  first  case,  toward  the  centre 
of  the  room,  early  ivory  carvings,  a * consular 
diptych  of  the  fifth  or  sixth  century,  very  inter- 
esting ; and  other  works  still  displaying  classical 
influence.  (1035)  Byzantine,  Christ  and  saints. 
(1049)  Death  of  the  Virgin  ; fine  work  showing 
Byzantine  influence;  twelfth  century.  (1054) 
Extremely  rude  Northern  eleventh  century 
ivory,  representing  scriptural  scenes,  mingled 
with  decorative  animals  treated  in  withy-band 
fashion.  (1038)  Fine  Italo-Byzantine  plaque 
with  Crucifixion  and  Saints,  the  name  of  each 
inscribed  beside  him.  Central  case  : ivory  stat- 
uettes, all  deserving  close  attention.  (1032) 
Antique  Roman  goddess.  (1037)  Fine  early 
French  Madonna ; tenth  century.  Behind  her 
(1052),  beautiful  ivory  reliquary,  French,  twelfth 


88 


Paris. 


century,  with  figures  of  saints ; to  the  left  the 
personages  of  the  Adoration  the  Three 
Kings)  bearing  their  gifts,  and  with  their  names 
inscribed  above  them  ; on  the  right  the  person- 
ages of  the  Presentation,  — Madonna,  Joseph, 
Simeon.  Further  side  (1060),  beautiful  coloured 
ivory  coffer,  fourteenth  century,  with  numerous 
scriptural  scenes,  easily  recognisable ; identify 
them.  Inspect  also  the  ebony  cabinets,  of 
which  (1458),  time  of  Henri  IV.,  with  classical 
scenes,  is  a magnificent  Renaissance  example. 
By  Wall  Ay  more  ebony  cabinets  and  carvings, 
and  exquisite  ivory  statuettes,  of  later  date, 
arnong  which  notice  particularly  (i  141)  a Portu- 
guese Madonna;  (1163)  a Spanish  St.  Peter; 
(1164)  Spanish  St.  Antony  of  Padua;  and 
(1167)  a very  curious  Peruvian  Good  Shepherd, 
showing  distinct  traces  of  native. art,  influenced 
by  introduced  Spanish  feeling.  Further  to  the 
right,  good  classical  figures  of  the  later  Renais- 
sance. I have  only  indicated  a few  of  the  most 
interesting  among  these  exquisite  carvings ; 
but  many  hours  may  be  devoted  to  this  room, 
by  those  who  can  afford  the  time,  with  great 
advantage. 

Room  X.  — Bronzes  and  Renaissance  metal 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  89 

work,  mostly  self-explanatory.  (193)  Chimney- 
piece  from  a house  in  Troyes,  — French,  six- 
teenth century ; Plenty,  surrounded  by  fauns 
and  trophies.  Good  collection  of  keys,  knives, 
etc. 

Room  XI.  — Goldsmith’s  work  and  objects 
in  the  precious  metals.  Wall  A (4988),  gold 
altar-piece  of  the  Emperor  Henry  II.,  of  Ger- 
many, with  Christ,  and  figures  of  saints,  bearing 
their  names  above  them,  given  by  the  Emperor 
to  Bale  Cathedral  in  the  beginning  of  the 
eleventh  century.  Central  case,  the  Guerrazar 
find  : votive  offerings  of  crowns  of  the  early 
Gothic  kings  of  Spain,  the  largest  one  being 
that  of  Reccesvinthus  (died  672),  discovered 
near  Toledo.  The  crowns  are  rude  Byzantine 
work  of  the  seventh  century,  inlaid  with  precious 
stones.  The  names  inscribed  below  them  were 
probably  added  when  they  were  made  into 
votive  offerings.  Uninteresting  as  works  of 
art,  these  curious  relics  possess  great  value  as 
specimens  of  the  decadent  workmanship  of  their 
period.  Most  of  the  other  objects  in  this  room 
derive  their  importance  more  from  the  material 
of  which  they  are  composed  than  from  artistic 
beauty,  or  even  relative  antiquarian  importance. 


90 


Paris. 


Of  these  (4994),  in  the  case  near  Wall  D,  rep- 
resents the  Last  Supper,  with  the  fish  which  in 
very  early  Christian  work  is  a symbol  of  Christ. 
Near  it,  quaint  figures  of  the  four  Evangelists, 
writing,  with  their  symbols.  Other  symbols 
of  the  Evangelists  in  the  same  case.  Quaint 
Nuremberg  figure  of  St.  Anne,  holding  on  her 
knee  the  crowned  Madonna,  and  a little  box  to 
contain  a relic.  (5008)  Reliquary  foot  of  a 
saint,  to  enclose  his  bones  ; it  bears  his  name, 
— Alard.  (4995)  Curious  figure  of  the  Madonna, 
Limoges  work,  very  Byzantine  in  aspect.  Other 
cases  contain  crucifixes,  monstrances,  and  similar 
articles  of  church  furniture  in  the  precious  metals, 
mostly  of  early  date.  The  case  by  Wall  B has 
Gallic  torques  and  Merovingian  jewelry. 

Return  to  Room  VIII.  and  enter  Room  XII. 
to  the  right.  It  contains  bed  furniture  and 
book-bindings.  (782)  Fine  Renaissance  Flagel- 
lation, after  Sebastian o del  Piombo. 

From  this  room  we  enter  the  chapel,  a small 
apartment,  with  roof  sustained  by  a single  pillar. 
Good  niches,  now  destitute  of  their  saints ; 
church  furniture  of  the  Middle  Ages,  much  of 
which  deserves  close  attention.  (708)  Fine 
wooden  altar-piece,  Flemish,  fifteenth  century : 


THE  THERMES  AND  WELL  OF  PETER  THE  HERMIT. 


Roman  Palace  and  Musee  de  Cluny.  91 

centre,  the  Mass  of  St.  Gregory,  with  Christ 
appearing  bodily  in  the  Holy  Sacrament ; be- 
neath it,  adoring  angels ; left  wing,  Abraham 
and  Melchisedek,  frankly  mediaeval ; right  wing, 
the  Last  Supper ; an  excellent  specimen.  Other 
objects  are  : (726)  Stiff  early  wooden  Madonna. 
(723)  Crucifix,  Auvergne,  twelfth  century. 
(727)  St.  John.  End  wall.  Annunciation,  with 
the  Madonna  separated,  as  often,  from  the 
Angel  Gabriel  by  a vase  of  lilies. 

The  staircase  in  the  corner  leads  out  to  the 
garden,  where  are  several  fragments  of  stone 
decoration.  Pass  through  the  door,  and  traverse 
Room  VI.  ; the  opposite  door  leads  to  Les 
Thermes,  the  remains  of  the  old  Roman  palace. 
The  scanty  remnant,  as  its  name  indicates, 
consists  entirely  of  the  baths  attached  to  the 
building.  The  masonry  is  massive.  Fragments 
of  Roman  altars  and  other  remains  found  in 
Paris  are  arranged  round  the  room.  The 
descriptive  labels  are  sufficient  for  the  purposes 
of  identification. 

If  this  brief  survey  of  Cluny  has  succeeded 
in  interesting  you  in  mediaeval  art,  buy  the 
official  catalogue,  come  here  often,  and  study  it 
in  detail. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE  HILL  OF  STE.  GENEVIEVE. 

High  places  are  always  the  first  cemeterie: 

and  holy  sites,  — as  at  Montmartre  and 
elsewhere.  But  the  nearest  rising  ground  to 
Old  Paris  is  the  slight  elevation  just  south  of 
Cluny,  now  crowned  by  the  colossal  dome  of  the 
Pantheon.  In  Frankish  times,  this  hill  lay  quite 
outside  the  city ; but  on  its  summit  (just  behind 
his  Palace  of  Les  Thermes),  Clovis,  after  his 
conversion  by  Ste.  Genevieve,  is  said  to  have 
erected  a church  to  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul. 
Here  Ste.  Genevieve  herself  was  buried  in 
512;  and  the  chapel  raised  over  her  tomb  grew 
into  a church,  — the  favourite  place  of  pilgrim- 
age for  the  inhabitants  of  Paris.  The  actual 
body  of  the  patron  saint  was  enclosed,  in  550, 
in  a magnificent  shrine,  executed  by  St.  filoy, 
the  holy  blacksmith.  Throughout  the  Middle 
Ages  this  church  and  tomb  of  Ste.  Genevieve, 


The  Hill  of  Ste.  Genevieve.  93 

which  occupied  the  site  of  the  existing  Pan- 
theon, nearly,  were  the  objects  of  the  greatest 
devotion.  St.  Denis  was  the  saint  of  the  kings 
and  nobles  ; but  Ste.  Genevieve  was,  and  still 
remains,  the  saint  of  the  people,  and  especially 
of  the  women.  Miracles  were  constantly  per- 
formed at  her  shrine,  and  her  aid  was  implored 
at  all  moments  of  national  danger  or  misfortune. 
A great  Augustin  abbey  grew  up  in  time  behind 
the  church,  and  was  dedicated  in  honour  of  the 
holy  shepherdess.  The  wall  of  Philippe  Auguste 
bent  abruptly  southward  in  order  to  include  her 
shrine  and  this  powerful  abbey. 

In  the  twelfth  century,  when  the  old  church 
of  St.  Stephen  (in  French,  St.  Etienne),  on  the 
site  of  Notre-Dame,  was  pulled  down  in  order 
to  make  room  for  the  existing  cathedral,  the 
relics  of  St.  Stephen  contained  in  it  were  trans- 
ferred to  a new  edifice,  — St.  Etienne-du-Mont, 
— which  was  erected  by  the  monks,  close  to  the 
Abbey  of  Ste.  Genevieve,  as  a parish  church  for 
their  servants  and  dependants.  In  the  sixteenth 
century  this  second  church  of  St.  Stephen  was 
pulled  down,  with  the  exception  of  its  tower, 
which  is  still  standing.  The  existing  church  of 
St.  Etienne  was  then  begun  on  the  same  site 


94 


Paris. 


in  the  Gothic  style,  and  slowly  completed  with 
extensive  Renaissance  alterations. 

Later  still,  the  mediaeval  church  of  Ste.  Gen- 
evieve hard  by  having  fallen  into  decay  in  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  Louis  XV. 
determined  to  replace  it  by  a sumptuous  domed 
edifice  in  the  style  of  the  period.  This  building, 
designed  by  Soufflot,  was  not  completed  till  the 
Revolution,  when  it  was  immediately  secularised 
as  the  Pantheon,  under  circumstances  to  be 
mentioned  later.  The  remains  of  Ste.  Gen- 
evieve, which  had  lain  temporarily,  meanwhile, 
in  a sumptuous  chapel  at  St.  Etienne-du-Mont 
(the  subsidiary  church  of  the  monastery),  were 
then  taken  out  by  the  revolutionists  ; the 
mediaeval  shrine,  or  reliquary  (which  replaced 
St.  Eloy’s),  was  ruthlessly  broken  up;  and  the 
body  of  the  patroness  and  preserver  of  Paris 
was  publicly  burned  in  the  Place  de  Greve. 
This,  however,  strange  to  say,  was  not  quite 
the  end  of  Ste.  Genevieve.  A few  of  her  relics 
were  said  to  have  been  preserved  : some  bones, 
together  with  a lock  of  the  holy  shepherdess's 
hair,  were  afterward  recovered,  and  replaced  in 
the  sarcophagus  they  had  once  occupied.  Such 
at  least  is  the  official  story ; and  these  relics, 


The  Hill  of  Ste.  Genevieve.  95 

now  once  more  enclosed  in  a costly  shrine,  still 
attract  thousands  of  votaries  to  the  chapel  of 
the  saint  ih  St.  Etienne-du-Mont. 

The  Pantheon,  standing  in  front  of  the  origi- 
nal church,  is  now  a secular  burial-place  for  the 
great  men  of  France.  The  remains  of  Ste. 
Genevieve  still  repose  at  St.  Etienne.  Thus  it 
is  impossible  to  dissociate  the  two  buildings, 
which  should  be  visited  together  ; and  thus,  too, 
it  happens  that  the  patroness  of  Paris  has  now 
no  church  in  her  own  city.  Local  saints  are 
always  the  most  important ; this  hill  and  Mont- 
martre are  still  the  holiest  places  in  Paris. 

Proceed  as  far  as  the  garden  of  the  Thermes, 
as  on  the  excursion  to  Cluny.  Then  continue 
straight  up  the  Boulevard  St.  Michel.  The 
large  edifice  visible  on  the  right  of  the  Rue  des 
Ecoles,  to  your  left,  is  the  new  building  of  the 
Sorbonne,  or  University.  Further  up,  at  the 
Place  du  Sorbonne,  the  domed  church  of  the 
same  name  stands  before  you.  It  is  the  Univer- 
sity church,  and  is  noticeable  as  the  earliest 
true  dome  erected  in  Paris.  The  next  corner 
shows  one,  to  the  right  the  Luxembourg  garden, 
and  to  the  left  the  Rue  Soufflot,  leading  up  to 
the  Pantheon. 


96 


Paris. 


The  colossal  domed  temple  which  replaces 
the  ancient  church  of  Ste.  Genevieve  was  begun 
by  Soufflot,  under  Louis  XV.,  in  imitation  of 
St.  Peter’s,  at  Rome.  Like  all  architects  of  his 
time,  Soufflot  sought  merely  to  produce  an 
effect  of  pagan  or  classical  ” grandeur,  pecul- 
iarly out  of  place  in  the  shrine  of  the  shepherd- 
ess of  Nanterre.  Secularised  almost  immediately 
on  its  completion,  during  the  Revolution,  the 
building  was  destined  as  the  national  monument 
to  the  great  men  of  France,  and  the  inscription, 
‘‘Aux  Grands  Hommes  la  Patrie  Reconnais- 
sante,”  which  it  still  bears,  was  then  first  placed 
under  the  sculptures  of  the  pediment.  Restored 
to  worship  by  the  Restoration,  it  was  again 
secularised  under  the  Third  Republic  in  order 
to  admit  of  the  burial  of  Victor  Hugo.  The 
building  itself,  a vast  bare  barn  of  the  pseudo- 
classical  type,  very  cold  and  formal,  is  worthy 
of  notice  merely  on  account  of  its  immense  size 
and  its  historic  position  ; but  it  may  be  visited 
to  this  day  with  pleasure,  not  only  for  some 
noble  modern  paintings,  but  also  for  the  sake 
of  the  reminiscences  of  Ste.  Genevieve  which  it 
still  contains. 

The  tympanum  has  a group  by  David 


THE  PANTHEON. 


The  Hill  of  Ste.  Genevieve.  97 


d’ Angers,  representing  France  distributing 
wreaths  to  soldiers,  politicians,  men  of  letters, 
men  of  science,  and  artists. 

The  interior  is  in  the  shape  of  a Greek  cross, 
with  equal  arms.  Follow  round  the  walls  be- 
ginning from  the  right.  In  the  right  aisle  are 
paintings  (modern)  looking  like  frescoes,  and 
representing  the  preaching  of  St.  Denis,  by 
Galand  ; and  * the  history  of  Ste.  Genevieve  — 
her  childhood,  recognition  by  St.  Germain 
I’Auxerrois,  miracles,  etc.,  delicate  and  elusive 
works,  by  Puvis  de  Chavannes.  The  paintings 
of  the  south  transept  represent  episodes  in  the 
early  history  of  France.  Chronologically  speak- 
ing, they  begin  from  the  east  central  corner. 
Choir,  Death  of  Ste.  Genevieve,  by  Laurens, 
and  Miracles  before  her  Shrine.  Apse  of  the 
tribune,  fine  modern  (archaic)  mosaic,  by  Hebert 
representing  Christ  with  the  Guardian  Angel  of 
France,  the  Madonna,  Jeanne  d'Arc,  and  Ste. 
Genevieve.  Stand  under  the  dome  to  observe 
the  proportions  of  the  huge,  bare,  unimpressive 
building.  In  the  left  or  northern  transept,  east 
side,  the  history  of  Jeanne  d’Arc ; she  hears  the 
voices  ; leads  the  assault  at  Orleans ; assists  at 
the  coronation  of  Charles  VII.  at  Rheims  ; and 


98 


Paris. 


is  burnt  at  Rouen.  On  the  west  side,  St.  Louis 
as  a child  instructed  by  Blanche  of  Castille ; 
administering  justice  in  the  Palace;  and  a cap- 
tive among  the  Saracens.  In  the  north  aisle, 
history  of  Ste.  Genevieve  and  St.  Denis  (suite). 
The  building  is  thus  at  once  the  apotheosis  of 
patriotism,  and  the  lasting  memorial  of  the  part 
borne  by  Christianity  in  French,  and  especially 
Parisian,  history. 

As  you  descend  the  steps  of  the  Pantheon, 
the  building  that  faces  you  to  the  left  is  the 
Mairie  of  the  fifth  Arrondissement  ; that  to  the 
right,  the  Ecole  de  Droit.  Turn  to  the  right, 
along  the  northern  side  of  the  Pantheon.  The 
long,  low  building  which  faces  you  is  the  Biblio- 
th^que  Ste.  Genevieve.  Nothing  now  remains 
of  the  Abbey  of  Ste.  Genevieve  except  the 
tall,  early  Gothic  tower  seen  to  the  right  near 
the  end  of  the  Pantheon,  and  rising  above  the 
modern  buildings  of  the  Lycde  Henri  IV.  The 
singularly  picturesque  and  strangely  mingled 
church  across  the  little  square  is  St.  lEtienne- 
du-Mont,  which  we  now  proceed  to  visit. 

Stand  in  the  left-hand  corner  of  the  Place  to 
examine  the  fagade.  The  church  was  begun 
(1517)  as  late  Gothic  ; but  before  it  was  finished. 


The  Hill  of  Ste.  Genevieve.  99 

the  Renaissance  style  had  come  into  fashion, 
and  the  architects  accordingly  jumbled  the  two 
in  the  most  charming  manner.  The  incongruity 
here  only  adds  to  the  beauty.  The  quaintly 
original  Renaissance  portal  bears  a dedication 
to  St.  Stephen  the  Protomartyr,  beneath  which 
is  a relief  of  his  martyrdom,  with  a Latin  inscrip- 
tion, ‘‘  Stone  destroyed  the  temple  of  the  Lord,” 
i.  e.,  Stephen,  ‘‘Stone  rebuilds  it.”  On  the 
right  and  left  of  the  portal  are  statues  of  Sts. 
Stephen  and  Genevieve,  whose  monograms  also 
appear  on  the  doors.  In  the  pediment  is  the 
usual  representation  of  the  Resurrection  and 
Last  Judgment.  Above  it,  the  rose  window,  on 
either  side  of  which,  in  accordance  with  Italian 
rather  than  with  French  custom  (showing  Italian 
Renaissance  influence)  are  the  Angel  of  the 
Annunciation  and  the  Madonna  receiving  his 
message.  In  the  third  story,  a gable-end.  Sin- 
gular tower  to  the  left,  with  an  additional  round 
turret,  a relic  of  the  earlier  Gothic  building. 
The  whole  fagade  (seventeenth  century)  repre- 
sents rather  late  Renaissance  than  transitional 
architecture. 

The  interior  is  the  most  singular,  and  in 
some  ways  the  most  picturesque,  in  Paris  — 


lOO 


Paris. 


a Gothic  church,  tricked  out  in  Renaissance 
finery.  The  nave  is  flanked  by  aisles,  which 
are  divided  from  it  by  round  pillars,  capped 
by  a singular  balustrade  or  gallery  with  low, 
flat  arches,  simulating  a triforium.  The  upper 
arches  are  round,  and  the  decorations  Renais- 
sance ; but  the  vaulting,  both  of  nave  and 
aisles,  with  its  pendant  keystones,  recalls  the 
Gothic  style,  as  do  also  most  of  the  windows. 
Stand  near  the  entrance,  in  the  centre  of  the 
nave,  and  look  up  the  church.  The  most 
striking  feature  is  the  beautiful  Renaissance 
jtibe  or  rood-loft  (the  only  one  now  left  in 
Paris),  which  divides  the  choir  from  the  body 
» of  the  building.  This  rood-loft  still  bears  a 
crucifix,  for  the  reception  of  which  it  was 
originally  intended.  On  the  arch  below  are 
two  charmingly  sculptured  Renaissance  angels. 
The  rood-loft  is  flanked  by  two  spiral  stair- 
cases, which  are  wholly  unique  architectural 
features.  Notice  also  the  exquisite  pendentive 
of  the  roof  at  the  point  of  intersection  of  the 
nave  and  short  false  transepts. 

Now  walk  up  the  right  aisle.  The  first 
chapel  is  the  baptistry,  containing  the  font 
and  a modern  statue  of  the  boy  Baptist. 


ST.  ETIENNE  - DU  - MONT.  — SHRINE  OF  STE.  GENEVHEVE, 


\ 


The  Hill  of  Ste.  Genevieve. 


lOI 


Third  chapel,  St.  Antony  of  Padua.  The 
fourth  chapel  contains  a curious  Holy  Sepul- 
chre, with  quaint  life-size  terra-cotta  figures 
of  the  sixteenth  century.  Fifth  chapel,  a gilt 
chdsse.  Notice  the  transepts,  reduced  to  short 
arms,  scarcely,  if  at  all,  projecting  beyond  the 
chapels.  From  this  point  examine  the  ex- 
quisite Renaissance  tracery  of  the  rood-screen 
and  staircases.  Then  pass  under  the  fine  Re- 
naissance door,  with  lovely  decorative  work, 
into  the  ambulatory.  The  choir  is  in  large 
part  Gothic,  with  late  flamboyant  tracery. 
The  apparent  triforium  is  continued  round 
the  ambulatory.  The  splendid  gilded  shrine 
in  the  second  choir-chapel  contains  the  re- 
mains of  Ste.  Genevieve,  or  what  is  left  of 
them.  Candles  burn  perpetually  around  it. 
Hundreds  of  votaries  here  pay  their  devotions 
daily  to  the  patroness  of  Paris.  The  shrine, 
containing  what  is  alleged  to  be  the  original 
sarcophagus  of  the  saint  (more  probably  of 
the  thirteenth  century),  stands  under  a richly 
gilt  Gothic  tabernacle,  adorned  with  figures 
legibly  named  on  their  pedestals.  The  stained- 
glass  window  behind  it  has  a representation 
of  a processional  function  with  the  body  of  the 


102 


Paris. 


saint,  showing  this  church,  together  with  a 
view  of  the  original  church  of  Ste.  Genevieve, 
the  remaining  tower,  and  adjacent  houses, 
historically  most  interesting.  The  window  be- 
yond the  shrine  also  contains  the  history  of 
Ste.  Genevieve,  — her  childhood,  first  commun- 
ion, miracles,  distribution  of  bread  during  the 
siege  of  Paris,  conversion  of  Clovis,  death,  etc. 
Indeed,  the  long  sojourn  of  the  body  of  Ste. 
Genevieve  in  this  church  has  almost  over- 
shadowed its  dedication  to  St.  Stephen,  several 
memorials  of  whom  may,  however,  be  recog- 
nised by  the  attentive  visitor,  — amongst  them, 
a picture  of  his  martyrdom  (by  Abel  de  Pujol) 
near  the  entrance  to  the  choir.  The  Proto- 
martyr also  stands,  with  his  deacon’s  robe  and 
palm,  in  a niche  near  the  door  of  the  sacristy, 
where  on  the  left  and  right  are  frescoes  of  his 
disputation  with  the  doctors,  and  his  martyr- 
dom. The  chapel  immediately  behind  the  high 
altar  is,  as  usual,  the  lady-chapel.  The  next 
contains  a good  modern  window  of  the  Mar- 
riage of  the  Virgin.  Examine  in  detail  all  the 
windows;  one  of  the. mystic  wine-press  is  very 
interesting.  Votive  offerings  of  the  city  of 
Paris  to  Ste.  Genevieve  also  exist  in  the  am- 


The  Hill  of  Ste.  Genevieve.  103 

bulatory.  Curious  frescoes  of  the  martyrdom 
of  the  ten  thousand  Christians  on  Mount  Ara- 
rat on  the  north  side.  The  best  view  of  the 
choir  is  obtained  from  the  north  side  of  the 
ambulatory,  opposite  the  shrine  of  Ste.  Gene- 
vieve. In  the  north  aisle  notiee  St.  Louis  with 
the  erown  of  thorns.  Stand  again  in  the  eentre 
of  the  nave,  near  the  entranee,  and  observe  the 
eurious  inelination  of  the  choir  and  high  altar 
to  one  side,  — here  particularly  noticeable,  and 
said  in  every  case  to  represent  the  droop  of  the 
Redeemer’s  head  on  the  cross. 

Go  out  again.  As  you  emerge  from  the 
door,  observe  the  eold  and  bare  side  of  the 
Pantheon,  eontrasted  with  the  internal  rieh- 
ness  of  St.  Etienne.  Curious  view  of  the  late 
Gothie  portion  of  the  ehurch  from  the  little 
place  on  the  north  side.  Return  by  the  Rue 
Cujas  and  Rue  St.  Jaeques,  passing  the  Lycde 
Ste.  Barbe,  Lyeee  Louis-le-Grand,  University, 
and  other  scholastic  buildings,  which  give  a 
good  idea  of  the  character  of  the  quarter. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  LOUVRE. 

PARIS,  which  spread  rapidly  southward  at 
first,  was  somewhat  slower  in  its  north- 
ward development.  Nevertheless,  by  the  time 
of  Philippe  Auguste,  the  Town  (La  Ville)  — 
the  commercial  portion  north  of  the  river  — 
more  than  equalled  the  learned  district  on  the 
southern  side.  This  central  northern  region, 
however,  containing  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  St. 
Eustache,  and  some  other  important  buildings, 
I purposely  postpone  to  the  consideration  of 
the  Louvre  and  its  neighbourhood,  which, 
though  later  in  date,  form  the  heart  and  core 
of  Renaissance  Paris,  — the  Paris  of  Francois 
P'"  and  his  splendour-loving  successors. 

Most  of  the  buildings  we  have  hitherto  con- 
sidered are  mediaeval  and  Gothic.  The  Louvre 
introduces  us  at  once  to  a new  world,  — the 
world  of  the  Renaissance.  The  transition  is 


104 


The  Louvre.  105 

abrupt.  In  Italy,  and  especially  in  Florence, 
the  Renaissance  was  a natural  growth ; in 
France  it  was  a fashion.  It  came  in,  full- 
fledged,  without  history  or  antecedents.  To 
trace  dts  evolution,  one  must  follow  it  out  in 
detail  in  Florence  and  Venice.  There,  it  grows 
of  itself,  organically,  by  gradual  stages.  But 
in  France,  Gothic  churches  and  mediaeval 
chateaux  give  place  at  once,  with  a bound,  to 
developed  Renaissance  temples  and  palaces.  The 
reason  for  this  fact  is,  that  the  French  kings, 
from  Charles  VIII.  onward  to  Henri  IV.,  were 
thoroughly  Italianate.  They  fought,  travelled, 
and  married  in  Italy,  to  parts  of  which  they  laid 
claim  ; and  being  closely  allied  with  the  Medici 
and  other  Italian  families,  — husbands  of  Medici 
wives,  sons  of  Medici  mothers,  — they  intro- 
duced at  once  into  France  the  developed  pro- 
ducts of  the  Italian  Renaissance.  At  the  same 
time  the  increased  and  centralised  power  of 
the  Crown  enabled  them  to  build  magnificent 
palaces,  like  the  Louvre  and  Fontainebleau ; 
and  to  this  artificial  impulse  is  mainly  due  the 
sudden  outburst  of  art  in  France  under  Fran- 
cois F*"  and  his  immediate  successors. 

It  is  impossible  to  characterise  the  Renais- 


T o6  Paris. 

sance  in  a few  short  sentences.  In  one  aspect, 
it  was  a return  from  Gothicism  to  classical 
usage,  somewhat  altered  by  the  new  conditions 
of  life.  At  first  you  will  probably  only  notice 
that  in  architecture  it  substituted  round  arches 
for  pointed,  and  introduced  square  doors  and 
windows ; while  in  other  arts  it  replaced  sacred 
and  Christian  subjects  and  treatment  by  mytho- 
logical and  secular.  But,  in  contrast  with 
mediaevalism,  it  will  reveal  itself  to  you  by 
degrees  as  essentially  the  dawn  of  the  modern 
spirit. 

The  Louvre  is  the  noblest  monument  of  the 
French  Renaissance.  From  the  time  of  St. 
Louis  onward,  the  French  kings  began  to  live 
more  and  more  in  the  northern  suburb,  the 
town  of  the  merchants,  which  now  assumed 
the  name  of  La  Ville,  in  contradistinction  to 
the  Cite  and  the  Universite.  Two  of  their 
chief  residences  here  were  the  Bastille  and  the 
Hotel  St.  Paul,  both  now  demolished,  — one  on 
the  place  so  called,  the  other  between  the  Rue 
St.  Antoine  and  the  Quai  des  Celestins.  But 
from  a very  early  period  they  also  possessed  a 
chateau  on  the  site  of  the  Louvre,  and  known 
by  the  same  name,  which  guarded  the  point 


The  Louvre. 


107 


where  the  wall  of  Philippe  Auguste  abutted  on 
the  river.  Frangois  F*"  decided  to  pull  down  this 
picturesque  turreted  mediaeval  castle,  erected 
by  Philippe  Auguste  and  altered  by  Charles  V. 
He  began  the  construction  in  its  place  of  a 
magnificent  Renaissance  palace,  which  has  ever 
since  been  in  course  of  erection.  Its  subse- 
quent growth,  however,  is  best  explained  oppo- 
site the  building  itself,  where  attention  can  be 
duly  called  to  the  succession  of  its  salient 
features.  But  a visit  to  the  exterior  fabric  of 
the  Louvre  should  be  preceded  by  one  to  St. 
Germain  TAuxerrois,  the  parish  church,  and 
practically  the  chapel,  of  the  old  Louvre,  to 
which  it  stood  in  somewhat  the  same  relation 
as  the  Sainte  Chapelle  to  the  home  of  St.  Louis. 
Note,  however,  that  the  church  was  situated 
just  within  the  ancient  wall,  while  the  chateau 
lay  outside  it.  The  visitor  will  doubtless  be 
tolerably  familiar  by  this  time  with  some  parts 
at  least  of  the  exterior  of  the  Louvre ; but  he 
will  do  well  to  visit  it  now  systematically,  in 
the  order  here  suggested,  so  as  to  gain  a clear 
general  idea  of  its  history  and  meaning. 

Go  along  the  Rue  de  Rivoli,  past  the  Palais 
Royal,  till  you  reach  the  Rue  du  Louvre.  Turn 


io8 


Paris. 


down  it,  with  the  Louvre  on  your  right.  To 
your  left  stands  a curious  composite  building, 
with  a detached  belfry  in  the  centre,  and  two 
wings,  as  it  seems,  one  on  either  side.  The 
southernmost  wing  is  the  old  church  of  St. 
Germain  FAuxerrois,  the  sole  remnant  of  the 
earliest  Louvre ; the  northernmost  wing  is  the 
modern  Mairie  of  the  first  Arrondissement, 
unhappily  intended  to  ^‘harmonise’'  with  it. 
The  real  result  is,  that  the  modern  building 
kills  the  old  one.  The  belfry  was  designed  to 
fill  up  the  gap  between  the  two.  Its  effect  is 
disastrous. 

The  church  is  older  than  the  oldest  Louvre. 
St.  Germanus,  Bishop  of  Auxerre  (d.  430),  was 
almost  one  of  the  first  generation  of  Gallic 
saints,  celebrated  for  his  visit  to  Britain,  where 
he  assisted  in  gaining  the  Hallelujah  victory 
over  the  heathen  invaders.  A church  on  this 
site  is  said  to  have  been  erected  in  his  honour 
as  early  as  the  days  of  Chilperic.  Sacked  by 
the  Normans,  it  was  reerected  in  something 
like  its  present  form  in  the  twelfth  century,  but 
received  many  subsequent  additions. 

The  beautiful  porch,  which  we  first  examine, 
is  of  much  later  date,  having  been  added  in 


The  Louvre.  109 

1431  by  Jean  Gaussel,  at  a time  when  the  old 
chateau^  of  the  Louvre  had  become  one  of  the 
principal  residences  of  the  French  kings,  in 
order  to  give  greater  dignity,  and  to  afford  a 
covered  approach  for  the  royal  worshippers  to 
what  was  practically  their  own  chapel.  It 
therefore  contains  (restored)  statues,  in  niches, 
relating  especially  to  the  royal  and  local  saints 
of  Paris,  whose  names  are  beneath  them,  — St. 
Cloud,  the  princess  Ste.  Clotilde,  Ste.  Rade- 
gonde  of  France,  St.  Denis,  St.  Marcel,  St. 
Germain  himself,  St.  Landry,  Ste.  Isabelle,  Ste. 
Bathilde,  St.  Jean  de  Valois,  and  others.  The 
saints  of  the  royal  house  are  distinguished  by 
crowns  or  coronets.  Two  of  these  statues  are 
old : St.  Francis,  at  the  south  end,  and  St. 
Mary  of  Egypt,  nude,  with  her  long  hair,  and 
the  three  loaves  which  sustained  her  in  the 
desert,  on  the  second  north  pillar.  The  mod- 
ern frescoes,  destroyed,  are  by  Mottez. 

Observe  the  congruity  of  all  these  saints  to 
the  church  and  the  chateau.  St.  Landry  or 
Landeric,  an  early  Frankish  bishop  of  Paris, 
was  buried  within,  and  his  shrine  was  a place 
of  pilgrimage.  St.  Marcel  was  also  a bishop  of 
Paris.  St.  Cloud  was  a holy  anchorite  whose 


I lO 


Paris. 


cell  was  in  the  wood  which  occupied  the  site  of 
the  palace  (now  destroyed)  that  bears  his  name. 
All  these  saints  are  therefore  closely  bound  up 
with  the  town  of  Paris  and  the  royal  family. 
You  must  never  forget  this  near  alliance  in 
France  between  the  Church  and  the  Crown  : it 
colours  all  the  architecture  of  the  early  period. 

Within  the  porch,  we  come  to  the  main  fagade, 
of  the  thirteenth  century.  To  the  right  and 
left,  two  sainted  bishops  of  Auxerre,  successors 
of  St.  Germain.  Central  portal,  a queen,  a 
king  (probably  Childebert  and  Ultrogothe,  the 
original  Frankish  founders),  St.  Vincent ; then 
St.  Germain  himself,  and  Ste.  Genevieve,  with 
the  usual  devil  and  candle,  and  her  attendant 
angel,  etc.  On  the  pier.  Madonna  and  Child, 
under  a canopy.  The  tympanum  had  formerly 
the  usual  relief  of  the  Last  Supper,  now  des- 
troyed, and  replaced  by  a fresco.  Reminis- 
cences of  its  subject  still  remain  in  the  quaint 
figures  to  the  right  and  left  on  the  arch,  at  its 
base,  representing  respectively,  with  childish 
realism,  the  jaws  of  hell  and  Abraham’s  bosom, 
to  which  the  wicked  and  the  just  were  consigned 
in  the  centre. 

In  this  church,  and  in  that  of  St.  Germain- 


The  Louvre. 


Ill 


des-Pr^s  (see  later),  St.  Vincent  ranks  as  a 
local  Parisian  saint,  because  his  tunic  was  pre- 
served in  the  great  abbey  church  of  the  other 
St.  Germain  beyond  the  river.  He  bears  a 
martyr’s  palm  and  is  habited  as  a deacon ; 
whence  he  is  often  hard  to  distinguish  from  his 
brother  deacon,  St.  Stephen : both  are  often 
put  together  in  Parisian  churches.  It  is  prob- 
able that  St.  Germain  of  Paris  consecrated  this 
church  to  his  older  namesake  and  St.  Vincent, 
— for  his  connection  with  whom  you  had  better 
wait  till  you  visit  St.  Germain-des-Pres. 

The  interior  is  low,  but  impressive.  The 
right  aisle  is  entirely  railed  off  as  a separate 
church  or  lady  chapel.  It  contains  an  inter- 
esting fourteenth-century  Root  of  Jesse,  seldom 
accessible.  Pretty  modern  font,  by  Jouffroy, 
after  Mme.  de  Lamartine,  in  the  south  tran- 
sept. Walk  round  the  ambulatory  (behind  the 
choir),  and  observe  the  stained  glass  and  other 
details  which  the  reader  may  now  be  trusted  to 
discover  unaided.  A mass  of  the  detail  is  well 
worthy  of  notice.  The  Gothic  pillars  of  the 
choir  were  converted  in  the  eighteenth  century 
into  fluted  columns.  Over  the  sacristy,  in  the 
south  ambulatory,  is  a modern  fresco  of  St. 


1 12 


Paris. 


Germain  and  St.  Vincent.  Note  many  other 
memorials  of  the  latter.  When  you  leave,  walk 
to  the  south  side  of  the  church  to  inspect  the 
exterior  and  the  square  tower,  from  which,  as 
parish  church  of  the  Louvre,  the  bell  rang  for 
the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  to  be  answered 
by  that  in  the  Palace  on  the  island. 

On  emerging  from  the  church,  contrast  its 
Gothic  quaintness  and  richness  of  detail  with 
the  cold,  classical  fagade  of  that  part  of  the 
Louvre  which  fronts  you.  This  facade,  known 
as  Perrault’s  Colonnade,  with  its  classical  pedi- 
ment and  Corinthian  columns,  was  erected  by 
Claude  Perrault  for  Louis  XIV.,  whose  LL  and 
crown  appear  on  every  part  of  it.  Nothing 
could  better  illustrate  the  profound  difference 
between  Gothic  and  classical  architecture  than 
this  abrupt  contrast. 

The  portion  of  the  palace  that  faces  you  is 
the  real  front  door  of  the  Louvre.  Notice  the 
smaller  barred  windows  on  the  ground  floor, 
and  the  upper  story  converted  into  a loggia. 
Now  pass  in  through  the  gateway,  under  the 
Chariot  of  the  Sun,  — an  apotheosis  of  Louis, 
— into  the  first  court,  known  distinctively  as 
the  Cour  du  Louvre.  For  all  that  follows. 


COUR  DU  LOUVRE. 


Cf  i;'S 


The  Louvre. 


consult  the  excellent  coloured  map  in  Baedeker. 
I advise  you  to  cut  it  out  and  carry  it  around  in 
your  hand  during  this  excursion. 

Begin  by  understanding  distinctly  that  this 
court  (le  vieux  Louvre)  is  the  real  and  original 
Louvre.  The  rest  is  mere  excrescence,  intended 
to  unite  the  main  building  with  the  Tuileries, 
which  lay  some  hundreds  of  yards  to  the  west  of 
it.  Notice,  first,  that  the  Palace  as  a whole,  seen 
from  the  point  where  you  now  stand,  is  con- 
structed on  the  old  principle  of  relatively  blank 
external  walls,  like  a castle,  with  an  interior 
courtyard,  on  which  all  the  apartments  open, 
and  almost  all  the  decoration  is  lavished.  Remi- 
niscences of  defence  lurk  about  the  Louvre. 
It  can  best  be  understood  by  comparison  with 
such  ornate,  yet  fortress-like,  Italian  palaces  as 
the  Strozzi  at  Florence.  Notice  the  four  oppo- 
site portals,  facing  the  cardinal  points,  which 
can  be  readily  shut  by  means  of  great  doors  ; 
while  the  actual  doorways  of  the  various  suites 
of  apartments  open  only  into  the  protected 
courtyard.  This  is  the  origin  of  the  familiar 
French  porte-cochhe. 

Again,  the  portion  of  the  building  that 
directly  faces  you  as  you  enter  the  court  from 


Paris. 


T14 

St.  Germain  is  the  oldest  part,  and  represents 
the  early  Renaissance  spirit.  It  is  the  most 
primitive  Louvre.  Note  in  particular  the 
central  elevated  portion,  known  as  a pavilion, 
and  graced  with  elegant  caryatides.  These 
pavilions  are  lingering  reminiscences  of  the 
mediaeval  towers.  You  will  find  them  in  the 
corners  and  centres  of  other  blocks  in  the 
Louvre.  They  form  a peculiarly  French 
Renaissance  characteristic.  The  palace  is 
here  growing  out  of  the  castle.  The  other 
three  sides  of  the  square  are,  on  the  whole, 
more  classical  and  later. 

Now  cross  the  square  directly  to  the  Pavilion 
de  THorloge,  as  it  is  called,  from  the  clock 
which  adorns  it.  To  your  left,  on  the  floor 
of  the  court,  are  two  circular  white  lines,  en- 
closed in  a square.  These  mark  the  site  of  the 
original  chateau  of  the  Louvre,  with  its  keep, 
or  donjon.  Frangois  1%  who  began  the  exist- 
ing building,  originally  intended  that  his  palace 
should  cover  the  same  area.  It  was  he  who 
erected  the  left  wing,  which  now  faces  you, 
marked  by  the  crowned  H on  its  central  round 
gable,  placed  there  by  his  successor,  Henri  II., 
under  whom  it  was  cx)mpleted.  To  the  same 


The  Louvre. 


"5 


king  are  also  due  the  monograms  of  H and  D 
(for  Diane  de  Poitiers,  his  mistress),  between 
the  columns  of  the  ground  floor.  The  whole 
of  the  Pavilion  de  I’Horloge,  and  of  this  west 
wing,  should  be  carefully  examined  in  detail  as 
the  finest  remaining  specimen  of  highly  dec- 
orated French  Renaissance  architecture.  (But 
the  upper  story  of  the  pavilion,  with  the  caryat 
ides,  is  an  age  later.)  Observe  even  the 
decoration  lavished  on  the  beautiful  chimneys. 
Pierre  Lescot  was  the  architect  of  this  earliest 
wing  ; the  exquisite  sculpture  is  by  Jean  Goujon, 
a Frenchman,  and  the  Italian,  Paolo  Ponzio. 
Examine  much  of  it.  The  crossed  K's  of  cer- 
tain panels  stand  for  Catherine  de  Medicis. 

The  right  wing,  beyond  the  pavilion,  was 
added,  in  the  same  style,  under  Louis  XIII., 
who  decided  to  double  the  plan  of  his  prede- 
cessors, and  form  the  existing  Cour  du  Louvre. 

The  other  three  sides,  in  a more  classic 
style,  with  pediments  replacing  the  pavilions, 
and  square  porticoes  instead  of  rounded  gables, 
are  for  the  most  part  later.  The  south  side, 
however,  as  far  as  the  central  door,  is  also  by 
Pierre  Lescot.  It  forms  one  of  the  two  fronts 
of  the  original  square  first  contemplated.  The 


Paris. 


116 

attic  story  of  these  three  sides  was  added  under 
Louis  XIV.,  to  whom  in  the  main  is  due  this 
Cour  du  Louvre.  A considerable  part  of  Louis 
XIV.'s  decorations  bear  reference  to  his  repre- 
sentation as  /e  roi  soleiL 

Now,  pass  through  the  Pavilion  de  THorloge 
(called  on  its  west  side  Pavilion  Sully)  into  the 
second  of  the  three  courts  of  the  Louvre.  To 
understand  this  portion  of  the  building,  you 
must  remember  that  shortly  after  the  erection 
of  the  Old  Louvre,  Catherine  de  Medicis  began 
to  build  her  palace  of  the  Tuileries,  now  des- 
troyed, to  the  west  of  it.  She  (and  subse- 
quent rulers)  designed  to  unite  the  Old  Louvre 
with  the  Tuileries  by  a gallery  which  should 
run  along  the  bank  of  the  river.  Of  that  gal- 
lery, Catherine  de  Medicis  herself  erected  a 
considerable  portion,  to  be  described  later,  and 
Henri  IV.  almost  completed  it.  Later  on, 
Napoleon  I.  conceived  the  idea  of  extending  a 
similar  gallery  along  his  new  Rue  de  Rivoli,  on 
the  north  side,  so  as  to  enclose  the  whole  space 
between  the  Louvre  and  the  Tuileries  in  one 
gigantic  double  courtyard.  Napoleon  III. 
carried  out  his  idea.  The  second  court,  in 
which  you  now  stand,  is  entirely  flanked  by 


The  Louvre.  117 

buildings  of  this  epoch  — the  Second  Empire. 
Examine  it  cursorily  as  far  as  the  modern 
statue  of  Gambetta. 

Stand  or  take  a seat  by  the  railing  of  the 
garden  opposite  the  Pavilion  Sully.  The  part 
that  now  faces  you  forms  a portion  of  the  build- 
ing of  PTangois  and  Louis  XIII.,  redecorated 
in  part  by  Napoleon  I.  The  portions  to  your 
right  and  left  (consult  Baedeker’s  map)  are 
entirely  of  the  age  of  Napoleon  III.,  built  so 
as  to  conceal  the  want  of  parallelism  of  the 
outer  portions.  Observe  their  characteristic 
pavilions,  each  bearing  its  own  name  inscribed 
upon  it.  This  recent  square,  though  quite 
modern  in  the  character  of  its  sculpture  and 
decoration,  is  Renaissance  in  its  general  archi- 
tecture, and,  when  looked  back  upon  from  the 
gardens  of  the  Tuileries,  affords  a most  excel- 
lent idea  of  that  stately  style,  as  developed  in 
France  under  Frangois  The  whole  of  this 
splendid  plan,  however,  has  been  rendered  futile 
by  the  destruction  of  the  Tuileries,  without  which 
the  enclosure  becomes  wholly  meaningless. 

Now,  continue  westward,  pass  the  monument 
of  Gambetta,  and  take  a seat  on  the  steps  at 
the  base,  near  the  fine  nude  figure  of  Truth. 


Paris. 


ii8 

In  front  of  you  opens  the  third  square  of  the 
Louvre,  known  as  the  Place  du  Carrousel,  and 
formerly  enclosed  on  its  west  side  by  the  Palace 
of  the  Tuileries,  which  was  unfortunately  burnt 
down  in  1871,  during  the  conflict  between  the 
municipal  and  national  authorities.  Its  place  is 
now  occupied  by  a garden  terrace,  the  view  from 
which  in  all  directions  is  magnificent.  Fronting 
you,  as  you  sit,  is  the  Arc  de  Triomphe  du  Car- 
rousel, erected  under  Napoleon  L,  by  Percier 
and  Fontaine,  in  imitation  of  the  Arch  of  Sep- 
timius  Severus  at  Rome,  and  once  crowned 
by  the  famous  bronze  Roman  horses  from  St. 
Mark’s  at  Venice.  The  arch,  designed  as  an 
approach  to  the  Tuileries  during  the  period  of 
the  classical  mania,  is  too  small  for  its  present 
surroundings,  since  the  removal  of  the  palace. 
The  north  wing,  visible  to  your  right,  is  purely 
modern,  of  the  age  of  the  First  and  Second 
Empire  and  the  Third  Republic.  The  meretri- 
cious character  of  the  reliefs  in  its  extreme 
west  portion,  erected  under  the  Emperor  Napo- 
leon III.,  and  restored  after  the  Commune,  is 
redolent  of  the  spirit  of  that  gaudy  period. 
The  south  wing,  to  your  left,  forms  part  of 
the  connecting  gallery  erected  by  Henri  IV., 


The  Louvre. 


119 

but  its  architecture  is  largely  obscured  by  con- 
siderable alterations  under  Napoleon  III.  Its 
west  pavilion  — known  as  the  Pavilion  de  Flore 
— is  well  worth  notice. 

Having  thus  gained  a first  idea  of  the  court- 
yard fronts  of  the  building,  continue  your  walk, 
still  westward,  along  the  south  wing  as  far  as 
the  Pavilion  de  Flore,  a remaining  portion  of 
the  corner  edifice  which  ran  into  one  line  with 
the  Palace  of  the  Tuileries  (again  consult  Baede- 
ker’s map).  Turn  round  the  corner  of  the 
pavilion  to  examine  the  south  or  river  front 
of  the  connecting  gallery,  — one  of  the  finest 
parts  of  the  whole  building,  but  far  less  known 
to  ordinary  visitors  than  the  cold  and  uninter- 
esting northern  line  along  the  Rue  de  Rivoli. 
The  first  portion,  as  far  as  the  gateways,  be- 
longs originally  to  the  age  of  Henri  IV. ; but 
it  was  entirely  reconstructed  under  Napoleon 
HI.,  whose  obtrusive  N appears  in  many  places 
on  the  gateways  and  elsewhere.  Nevertheless, 
it  still  preserves,  on  the  whole,  some  reminis- 
cence of  its  graceful  Renaissance  architecture. 
Beyond  the  main  gateway  (with  modern  bronze 
Charioteer  of  the  Sun),  flanked  by  the  Pavilions 
de  la  Tremoille  and  de  Lesdiguieres,  we  come 


120 


Paris. 


upon  the  long  southern  gallery  erected  by 
Catherine  de  Medicis,  which  still  preserves 
almost  intact  its  splendid  early  French  Renais- 
sance decoration.  This  is  one  of  the  noblest 
portions  of  the  entire  building.  The  N here 
gives  place  to  H’s  and  the  Renaissance  scroll- 
work and  reliefs  almost  equal  those  in  that 
portion  of  the  Old  Louvre  which  was  erected 
under  Francois  Sit  on  a seat  on  the  Quay 
and  examine  the  sculpture.  Notice  particularly 
the  splendid  Porte  Jean  Goujon,  conspicuous 
from  afar  by  its  gilded  balcony.  Its  crowned 
H’s  and  coats  of  arms  are  specially  interesting 
examples  of  the  decorative  work  of  the  period. 
Note  also  the  skill  with  which  this  almost  flat 
range  is  relieved  by  sculpture  and  decoration 
so  as  to  make  us  oblivious  of  the  want  of  that 
variety  usually  given  by  jutting  portions.  The 
end  of  this  long  gallery  is  formed  by  two  hand- 
some windows  with  balconies.  We  there  come 
to  the  connecting  Galerie  d’Apollon,  of  which 
these  windows  are  the  termination,  and  finally 
reach  once  more  a portion  of  Perrault’s  facade, 
with  its  double  LL’s,  erected  under  Louis  XIV. 
and  closely  resembling  the  interior  fagade  of  the 
Cour  du  Louvre. 


HOTEL  DE  VILLE. 


The  Louvre. 


121 


The  north  side  you  can  examine  any  day  as 
you  pass  along  the  Rue  de  Rivoli.  You  will 
now  have  no  difficulty  in  distinguishing  its  vari- 
ous factors,  — first,  on  the  east,  a part  of  Per- 
rault’s  facade  of  the  Old  Louvre ; then,  where 
it  begins  to  bend  outward,  a portion  of  Napo- 
leon the  Third’s  connecting  link ; finally,  be- 
yond the  main  carriage  way,  westward,  a part 
reconstructed  under  the  Third  Republic. 

Sit  awhile  on  the  adjacent  Pont  des  Arts  to 
gain  a general  conception  of  the  relations  of  the 
Louvre,  the  He  de  la  Cite,  the  Hotel  de  Ville 
and  other  surrounding  buildings. 

This  first  rough  idea  of  the  Louvre  should 
be  filled  in  later  by  detailed  study.  The 
Renaissance  portions,  in  particular,  you  should 
look  at  again  and  again,  every  time  you  enter, 
piecing  out  your  conceptions  at  a later  stage 
by  visiting  the  Renaissance  Sculpture  Gallery 
in  the  Cour  du  Louvre,  and  comparing  the 
works  inside  it  and  outside  it.  Thus  only  can 
you  gain  a connected  idea  of  Renaissance  Paris, 
to  be  further  supplemented  by  frequent  visits 
to  St.  Etienne-du-Mont,  St.  Eustache,  and 
Fontainebleau. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


SALLE  DES  PRIMITIFS  AND  SALLE  DUChAtEL. 

HE  collections  in  the  Louvre  have  no  such 


necessary  organic  connection  with  Paris 
itself  as  Notre-Dame  and  the  Sainte  Chapelle, 
or  even  those  in  the  rooms  at  Cluny.  They 
may,  therefore,  be  examined  by  the  visitor  at 
any  period  of  his  visit  that  he  chooses.  I 
would  advise  him,  however,  whenever  he  takes 
them  up,  to  begin  with  the  paintings,  in  the 
order  here  enumerated,  and  then  to  go  on  to 
the  classical  and  Renaissance  sculpture.  The 
last-named,  at  least,  he  should  only  examine  in 
connection  with  the  rest  of  Renaissance  Paris. 
Also,  while  it  is  unimportant  whether  he  takes 
first  painting  or  sculpture,  it  is  very  important 
that  he  should  take  each  separately  in  the 
chronological  order  here  enumerated.  He 
should  not  skip  from  room  to  room,  haphazard, 
but  see  what  he  sees  systematically. 


122 


Salle  des  Primitifs  and  Salle  Duchatel.  123 

At  least  six  days  — far  more,  if  possible  — 
should  be  devoted  to  the  Louvre  collections, 
— by  far  the  most  important  objects  to  be  seen 
in  Paris.  Of  these,  four  should  be  assigned  to 
the  paintings,  and  one  each  to  the  classical  and 
Renaissance  sculpture.  If  this  is  impossible, 
do  not  try  to  see  all ; see  a little  thoroughly. 
Confine  yourself,  for  painting,  to  the  Salon 
Carre  and  the  Salle  des  Primitifs,  and  for  sculp- 
ture, to  a hasty  walk  through  the  Classical 
Gallery  and  to  the  three  western  rooms  of  the 
Renaissance  collection. 

The  object  of  the  hints  which  follow  is  not  to 
describe  the  collections  in  the  Louvre ; it  is 
to  put  the  reader  on  the  right  track  for  under- 
standing and  enjoying  them.  It  is  impossible 
to  make  people  admire  beautiful  things  ; but  if 
you  begin  by  trying  to  comprehend  them,  you 
will  find  admiration  and  sympathy  grow  with 
comprehension.  Religious  symbolism  is  the 
native  language  of  early  art,  and  you  cannot 
expect  to  understand  the  art  if  you  do  not 
take  the  trouble  to  learn  the  language  in  which 
it  is  written.  Therefore,  do  not  walk  listlessly 
through  the  galleries,  with  a glance,  right  or 
left,  at  what  happens  to  catch  your  eye ; begin 


124 


Paris. 


at  the  beginning,  work  systematically  through 
what  parts  you  choose,  and  endeavour  to  grasp 
the  sequence  and  evolution  of  each  group  sepa- 
rately. Stand  or  sit  long  before  every  work, 
till  you  feel  you  know  it ; and  return  frequently. 
Remember,  too,  that  I do  not  point  out  always 
what  is  most  worthy  of  notice,  but  rather  sug- 
gest a mode  of  arriving  at  facts  which  might 
otherwise  escape  you.  Many  beautiful  objects 
explain  themselves,  or  fall  so  naturally  into 
their  proper  place  in  a series  that  you  will 
readily  discover  their  meaning  and  importance 
without  external  aid.  With  others,  you  may 
need  a little  help,  to  suggest  a point  of  view, 
and  that  is  all  that  these  brief  notes  aim  at. 
Do  not  be  surprised  if  I pass  by  many  beautiful 
and  interesting  things ; if  you  find  them  out  for 
yourself,  there  is  no  need  to  enlarge  upon  them. 
Should  these  hints  succeed  in  interesting  you  in 
the  succession  and  development  of  art,  get  Mrs. 
Jameson  and  Kugler,  and  read  up  at  leisure  in 
your  rooms  all  questions  suggested  to  you  by 
your  visits  to  the  galleries.  My  notes  are 
intended  to  be  looked  at  before  the  objects 
themselves,  and  merely  to  open  a door  to  their 
right  comprehension. 


NIKE  OF  SAMOTHRACE. 


Salle  des  Primitifs  and  Salle  Duchatel.  125 

Take  Baedeker’s  plan  of  the  galleries  (first 
floor)  with  you.  Enter  by  the  door  in  the 
Pavilion  Denon.  Turn  to  left  and  traverse 
long  hall  with  reproductions  of  famous  antiques 
in  bronze  (Laocoon,  Medici  Venus,  Apollo  Bel- 
vedere, etc.),  which  those  who  do  not  intend  to 
visit  Rome  and  Florence  will  do  well  to  ex- 
amine. Observe,  in  passing,  in  the  centre  of 
the  hall,  a fine  antique  sarcophagus,  with  figures 
in  high  relief,  representing  the  story  of  Achilles. 
Begin  on  the  furthest  side  of  the  sarcophagus  : 
(i)  Achilles,  disguised  as  a woman,  among  the 
daughters  of  Lycomedes,  in  order  to  avoid  the 
Trojan  war;  (2)  is  discovered  by  Ulysses  as  a 
pedlar,  through  his  choice  of  arms  instead  of 
trinkets ; (3)  arming  himself  for  the  combat ; 
and  (4,  modern)  Priam  redeeming  the  body  of 
Hector.  (The  work  originally  stood  against  a 
wall,  and  had  therefore  three  decorative  sides 
only.)  Further  on,  fine  sarcophagus  from 
Salonica,  Roman  period,  with  Combat  of  Ama- 
zons, representing  on  the  lid  husband  and  wife, 
couched,  somewhat  after  the  Etruscan  fashion. 

Mount  the  staircase  (Escalier  Daru).  Near 
the  top  is  the  famous  Nik^  of  Samothrace,  a 
much-mutilated  winged  figure  of  Victory,  stand- 


126 


Paris. 


ing  like  a figurehead  on  the  prow  of  a trireme. 
It  was  erected  by  Demetrius  Poliorcetes,  in 
commemoration  of  a naval  engagement  in  b.  c. 
305.  Attitude  and  drapery  stamp  the  work  as 
one  of  the  finest  products  of  Hellenic  art. 
Victory  alights  on  the  vessel  of  the  conqueror. 

Turn  to  your  left  just  before  reaching  the 
last  flight,  and  pass  several  Etruscan  sarcophagi 
and  sarcophagus-shaped  funereal  urns,  many 
with  the  deceased  and  his  wife  on  the  lid,  ac- 
companied in  some  cases  by  protecting  genii. 
The  early  Etruscans  buried ; the  later  often 
burned  their  dead,  but  continued  to  enclose  the 
ashes  in  miniature  sarcophagi.  At  the  top,  oh 
the  left,  a fresco  by  Fra  Angelico^  the  Domin- 
ican painter,  St.  Dominic  embracing  the  Cross, 
with  the  Madonna  and  St.  John  Evangelist : 
not  a first-rate  example  of  the  master.  End 
wall,  right  of  door,  a fresco  by  Botticelli^ 
Giovanni  Tornabuoni  receiving  the  Muses. 
Opposite  it,  left  of  door,  another  by  the  same, 
Giovanna  his  wife  receiving  the  Graces,  and 
accompanied  by  Cupid.  These  two  frescoes 
stood  in  the  hall  of  the  owner’s  villa,  and  grace- 
fully typify  the  husband  entertaining  Literature, 
Science,  and  Art,  while  the  wife  extends  hospi- 


Salle  des  Primitifs  and  Salle  DuchateL  127 

tality  to  Love,  Youth,  and  Beauty.  Descend 
one  flight  of  staircase  again,  passing  yet  other 
Etruscan  sarcophagi  (which  examine),  and, 
mounting  opposite  stairs,  pass  the  Nik^  and 
turn  to  your  right.  Traverse  the  photograph- 
room  and  the  Salle  Duchatel  beyond  it,  as  well 
as  the  Salon  Carre.  Enter  the  long  gallery, 
and,  taking  the  first  door  to  your  right,  you 
arrive  at  once  in  Room  I.  (Baedeker’s  VII.), 
the  Salle  des  Primitifs. 

The  pictures  in  this  room  consist  for  the 
most  part  of  those  by  early  followers  of  Giotto, 
and  by  members  of  the  schools  which  sprang 
from  him,  till  the  moment  of  the  Renaissance. 
As  these  earliest  pictures  strike  the  keynote  of 
types,  continued  and  developed  later,  it  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  examine  them  all  very 
closely.  In  most  cases,  subject  and  treatment 
were  rigorously  prescribed  by  custom  ; scenes 
recur  again  and  again,  almost  identically. 
Where  saints  are  grouped  around  the  Madonna, 
they  were  ordered  by  the  purchaser,  and  often- 
est  represent  his  own  patrons.  In  order  to 
obtain  a chronological  view,  begin'  at  the  centre 
of  the  end  wall.  Most  of  these  pictures  are 
altar-pieces.  I follow  the  small  numbers  below, 


Paris. 


128 

the  only  ones  for  which  a detailed  catalogue  is 
yet  published. 

*153.  Cimabue  (the  point  of  departure  for 
Tuscan  art).  Madonna  and  Child  with  six 
angels.  Almost  a replica  of  the  great  picture 
in  Santa  Maria  Novella  at  Florence ; gold 
ground ; the  Madonna's  face  still  strongly  By- 
zantine in  type,  with  almond-shaped  eyes  ; the 
Child  draped,  after  the  earlier  fashion.  Later, 
he  is  represented  nude.  Observe,  however,  the 
greater  artistic  freedom  in  the  treatment  of  the 
attendant  angels,  where  Cimabue  was  slightly 
less  hampered  by  conventional  precedents.  Do 
not  despise  this  picture  because  of  its  stiffness 
and  its  archaic  style.  It  is  an  immense  advance 
upon  the  extremely  wooden  Byzantine  models 
which  preceded  it : and  in  the  angels  it  really 
approaches  correctness  of  drawing. 

225  (Skied).  Don  Lorenzo  Monaco.  A 
Tabernacle  for  an  altar  of  St.  Lawrence ; centre, 
St.  Lawrence,  enthroned  on  his  gridiron  ; left, 
St.  Agnes  with  her  lamb ; right,  St.  Margaret 
with  her  dragon,  all  on  gold  grounds.  A poor 
example.  This  saint  is  usually  represented  in 
deacon's  robes.  The  other  saints  are  probably 
those  who  shared  the  chapel  with  him.  See 


Salle  des  Primitifs  and  Salle  Duchatel.  129 

the  much  later  St.  Margaret  by  Raphael  as  an 
example  of  Renaissance  treatment  of  the  same 
figure. 

* 192.  Giotto.  St.  Francis  receiving  the  Stig- 
mata. A genuine  picture,  painted  for  the 
saint’s  own  church  of  San  Francesco  at  Pisa; 
one  of  the  earliest  representations  of  this  sub- 
ject, often  afterward  copied.  Christ,  as  a six- 
winged seraph,  red-feathered,  appears  in  heaven 
to  the  saint ; rays  proceed  from  his  five  wounds 
to  the  hands,  feet,  and  side  of  St.  Francis, 
which  they  impress  with  similar  marks.  A 
mountain  represents  La  Vernia ; two  tiny  build- 
ings, the  monastery.  Compare  with  this  sub- 
ject two  smaller  treatments  in  the  same  room, 
both  on  the  lowest  tier : one  to  the  left  as  you 
go  toward  the  door,  431,  of  the  school  of  Peru- 
gino,  where  an  attendant  Brother  (Leo)  is  seen 
astonished  at  the  vision ; the  second  on  the 
right,  287,  attributed  to  Pesello,  and  closely 
similar  in  treatment.  Careful  comparison  of 
these  pictures  will  serve  to  show  the  close  way 
in  which  early  painters  imitated,  or  almost 
copied  one  another.  The  base  (or  predella)  of 
the  Giotto  also  contains  three  other  subjects : 
Innocent  III.,  asleep,  is  shown  by  St.  Peter  the 


130 


Paris. 


falling  church  sustained  by  St.  Francis ; he 
confirms  the  Franciscan  order;  St.  Francis 
preaches  to  the  birds.  All  very  spirited.  No- 
tice these  little  pictures  for  comparison  later 
with  others  painted  in  the  Dominican  interest 
by  Fra  Angelico. 

Continuing  along  left  wall  are  some  small 
pictures  of  the  Sienese  school,  which  should  be 
carefully  examined.  (Do  not  suppose  that  be- 
cause I do  not  call  attention  to  a picture  it  is 
necessarily  unworthy  of  notice.)  Most  of  these 
little  works  breathe  the  pure  piety  and  ecstatic 
feeling  of  the  school  of  Siena. 

**  426.  Periigino.  Tondo,  or  round  picture  ; 
the  Madonna  Enthroned ; left,  St.  Rose  with 
her  roses ; right,  St.  Catherine  with  her  palm 
of  martyrdom ; behind,  adoring  angels.  An 
exquisite  example  of  the  affected  tenderness, 
delicate  grace,  and  brilliant  colouring  of  the 
Umbrian  master,  from  whose  school  Raphael 
proceeded.  An  early  specimen.  Observe  the 
dainty  painting  of  the  feet  and  hands,  which  is 
highly  characteristic. 

Beneath  it,  1701,  Gentile  da  Fabriano.  Pres- 
entation in  the  Temple.  Look  closely  into  it. 
A delicate  little  example  of  the  Umbrian  rival  of 


PERUGINO.  — MADONNA. 


Salle  des  Primitifs  and  Salle  Duchatel.  13 1 

Fra  Angelico.  The  arrangement  will  explain 
many  later  ones.  Every  one  of  the  figures  and 
their  attitudes  are  conventional. 

427.  Penigino.  Madonna  and  Child,  with 
St.  John  Baptist  and  St.  Catherine.  The  intro- 
duction of  St.  John  shows  the  picture  to  have 
been  probably  painted  for  a Florentine  patron. 
Not  a pleasing  example. 

Beneath  it,  Vittore  Pisano^  characteristic  por- 
trait of  an  Este  princess,  in  the  hard,  dry, 
accurate  manner  of  this  Veronese  medallist, 
who  borrowed  from  his  earlier  art  the  habit  of 
painting  profiles  in  strong  low  relief,  with  a 
plastic  effect. 

Penigino,  St.  Sebastian.  One  of  the  love- 
liest examples  of  the  Umbrian  master’s  later 
manner.  Contrasted  with  the  Madonna  and 
St.  Rose,  it  shows  the  distance  covered  by  art 
during  the  painter’s  lifetime.  Observe  its 
greater  freedom  and  knowledge  of  anatomy. 
St.  Sebastian,  bound  as  usual  to  a pillar  in  a 
ruined  temple,  is  pierced  through  with  arrows. 
Face,  figure,  and  expression  are  unusually  fine 
for  Perugino.  Sebastian  was  the  great  saint 
for  protection  against  the  plague,  and  pictures 
containing  him  are  almost  always  votive  offer- 


132 


Paris. 


ings  under  fear  of  that  pestilence.  Many  in 
this  gallery.  The  face  here  is  finer  than  in  any 
other  presentation  I know,  except  Sodoma's  in 
the  Uffizi  at  Florence. 

258.  Lombard  or  Piedmontese  School.  An- 
nunciation. An  unusual  treatment ; the  Ma- 
donna, as  always,  kneels  at  a prie-dieUy  and  starts 
away,  alarmed  and  timid,  at  the  apparition  of 
the  Angel  Gabriel.  The  action,  as  usual,  takes 
place  in  a loggia,  but  the  angel  is  represented 
as  descending  in  flight  through  the  air,  an 
extremely  uncommon  mode  of  depicting  him. 
He  bears  the  white  lily  of  the  Annunciation. 
The  other  details  are  conventional.  Contrast 
with  this  subsequent  Annunciations  in  this 
gallery.  On  the  left  are  St.  Augustin  and  St. 
Jerome;  on  the  right,  St.  Stephen,  bearing  on 
his  head,  as  often,  the  stones  of  his  martyrdom, 
accompanied  by  St.  Peter  Martyr,  the  Domini- 
can, with  the  knife  in  his  head.  Both  saints 
carry  palms  of  martyrdom.  A good  picture  in 
a hard,  dry,  local  manner. 

Now  cross  over  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
room,  beginning  at  the  bottom,  in  order  to 
preserve  the  chronological  sequence. 

196.  School  of  Giotto.  Madonna  in  Glory, 


Salle  des  Primitifs  and  Salle  Duchatel.  133 

with  angels.  Compare  this  treatment  carefully 
with  Cimabue’s  great  picture  close  by,  in  order 
to  notice  the  advance  in  art  made  in  the  inter- 
val. The  subject  and  general  arrangement  are 
the  same,  but  observe  the  irregularity  in  the 
placing  of  the  angels,  and  the  increased  knowl- 
edge of  anatomy  and  expression. 

Close  by  are  several  other  Giottesque  pic- 
tures, all  of  which  should  be  closely  examined ; 
especially  425,  Vanni^  the  same  subject,  for 
comparison.  The  little  Giottesque  Death  of 
St.  Bernard,  in  particular,  is  a characteristic 
example  or  type  of  a group  which  deals  in  the 
same  manner  with  saintly  obsequies.  All  of 
them  will  suggest  explanations  of  later  pictures. 
In  all  these  cases  the  saint  lies  on  a bier  in  the 
foreground,  surrounded  by  mourning  monks 
and  ecclesiastics.  The  keynote  was  struck  by 
Giotto’s  fresco  of  the  Death  of  St.  Francis  at 
Santa  Croce  in  Florence. 

187.  Agnolo  Gaddi.  Annuneiation  ; a char- 
aeteristie  example.  Note  the  loggia,  and  the 
angel  with  the  lily ; the  introduction  of  a sec- 
ond angel,  however,  is  a rare  variation  from  the 
type.  In  the  corner  is  the  Father  despatching 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Attitude  of  the  Madonna 


134 


Paris. 


characteristic ; study  carefully.  No  subject 
sheds  more  light  on  the  methods  of  early  art 
than  the  Annunciation.  It  always  takes  place 
in  an  arcade  : the  Madonna  is  almost  always  to 
the  right  of  the  picture : and  prie-dieu^  book, 
and  bed  are  frequent  accessories. 

666.  Quaint  little  Florentine  picture  of  St. 
Nicolas,  throwing  three  purses  of  gold  as  a 
dowry  inside  the  house  of  a poor  and  starving 
nobleman. 

Next  to  it,  unnumbered,  Gregory  the  Great 
sees  the  Angel  of  the  Plague  sheathing  his 
sword  on  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  so  called 
from  this  vision. 

494.  St.  Jerome  in  the  Desert ; lion,  skull, 
crucifix,  rocks,  cardinal’s  hat,  all  characteristic 
of  the  subject.  In  the  foreground,  a Florentine 
lily  ; in  the  background,  Christ  and  the  infant 
Baptist,  patron  of  Florence ; background,  left 
side,  St.  Augustin  and  the  angel  who  tries  to 
empty  the  sea  into  a hole  made  with  a bucket, 
— a well-known  allegory  of  the  attempt  of  the 
finite  to  comprehend  the  Infinite.  Look  out 
elsewhere  for  such  minor  episodes. 

Fra  Angelico.  Martyrdom  of  Sts.  Cosmo 
and  Damian,  the  holy  physicians,  and  (therefore) 


Salle  des  Primitifs  and  Salle  Duchatel.  135 

patron  saints  of  the  Medici  family ; a character- 
istic example  of  the  saintly  friar's  colouring  in 
small  subjects.  These  two  Medici  saints  are 
naturally  frequent  in  Florentine  art. 

662.  Fra  Angelico.  Story  of  the  death  of 
St.  John  Baptist.  Three  successive  episodes 
represented  in  the  same  picture.  The  lithe 
figure  of  the  daughter  of  Herodias,  dancing,  is 
very  characteristic. 

166.  Battle  scene,  by  Paolo  Uccello.  Show- 
ing vigorous  efforts  at  mastery  of  perspective 
and  foreshortening,  as  yet  but  partially  suceess- 
ful.  The  wooden  eharacter  of  the  horses  is 
conspicuous.  Paolo  Uccello  was  one  of  the 
group  of  early  scientific  artists,  who  endeav- 
oured to  improve  their  knowledge  of  optics  and 
of  the  sciences  ancillary  to  painting. 

199.  Benozzo  Gozzoli.  Glory  of  St.  Thomas 
Aquinas,  the  great  Dominican  teacher.  This 
is  an  apotheosis  of  seholasticism,  in  the  person 
of  its  chief  representative.  On  the  right  and 
left  stand  Aristotle  and  Plato,  the  heathen  phil- 
osophers, in  deferential  attitudes,  recognising 
their  master.  Beneath  his  feet  is  Guillaume  de 
St.  Amour,  a vanquished  heretic.  Below  the 
entire  Church,  — pope,  cardinals,  doctors,  — re- 


136 


Paris. 


ceiving  instruction  from  St.  Thomas.  Above, 
the  Eternal  Father  signifying  His  approval  in 
a Latin  inscription,  surrounded  by  the  Evangel- 
ists with  their  symbols,  — angel,  winged  lion, 
bull,  eagle.  The  inscription  imports,  Thomas 
has  well  spoken  of  Me.”  The  style  is  archaic  : 
the  council  is  supposed  to  be  that  of  Agnani, 
presided  over  by  Pope  Alexander  IV.  Among 
the  celestial  personages,  notice  St.  Paul,  Moses, 
and  others.  Pictures  of  this  double  sort,  em- 
bracing scenes  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  are 
common  in  Italy. 

Beneath  it  (287),  part  2.  Pesello,  St.  Cosmo 
and  St.  Damian  affixing  the  leg  of  a dead  Moor 
to  a wounded  Christian,  on  whom  they  have 
been  compelled  to  practise  amputation.  The 
costumes  are  the  conventional  ones  for  these 
saints.  Remember  them.  This  astounding 
miracle  is  often  represented  at  Florence : the 
dead  man’s  leg  grew  on  the  living  one. 

**  182.  Fra  Angelico,  A Coronation  of  the 
Virgin,  painted  for  a Dominican  church  at 
Fiesole.  In  the  foreground,  St.  Louis  of  France, 
with  a crown  of  fleur-de-lis ; St.  Zenobius, 
Bishop  of  Florence,  with  the  lamb  of  the 
Baptist  on  his  crosier  (indicating  his  see)  ; St. 


FRA  ANGELICO. — CORONATION  OF  THE  VIRGIN 


Salle  des  Primitifs  and  Salle  Duchatel.  137 

Mary  Magdalen,  in  red,  with  long  yellow  hair 
(so  almost  always),  and  (her  symbol)  the  box  of 
ointment ; St.  Catherine  with  her  wheel ; St. 
Agnes,  with  her  lamb,  and  others.  Above  St. 
Louis  stands  St.  Dominic,  founder  of  Fra  An- 
gelico’s order,  recognisable  by  his  robes,  with 
his  red  star  and  white  lily  (the  usual  attributes)  ; 
beneath  him,  a little  to  the  right,  St.  Thomas 
Aquinas,  with  a book  sending  forth  rays  of 
light,  to  signify  his  teaching  function.  Near 
him  St.  Francis.  Other  saints,  such  as  St. 
Lawrence  with  his  gridiron,  and  St.  Peter 
Martyr,  the  Dominican,  with  his  wounded  head, 
must  be  left  to  the  spectator.  In  the  back- 
ground, choirs  of  angels.  Beneath,  in  the 
predella,  the  history  of  St.  Dominic  (marked  by 
a red  star)  ; Pope  Innocent  in  a dream  sees  him 
sustaining  the  falling  Church  (a  Dominican 
variant  of  the  story  of  St.  Francis  in  the  Giotto, 
at  the  end)  : he  receives  his  commission  from 
St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul ; he  restores  to  life  the 
young  man  Napoleon,  killed  by  a fall  from  a 
horse  (seen  to  left)  ; he  converts  heretics  and 
burns  their  books  ; he  is  fed  with  his  brethren 
by  angels  in  his  convent  at  Rome ; and  his 
death  and  apotheosis.  This  picture  deserves 


138 


Paris. 


most  careful  study,  — say  two  hours.  It  is  one 
of  Fra  Angelico’s  finest  easel  paintings  (his 
best  are  frescoes),  and  it  is  full  of  interest  for 
its  glorification  of  the  Dominicans.  Compare 
the  St.  Thomas  Aquinas  with  Benozzo  Goz*- 
zoli’s  : and  remember  in  studying  the  predella 
that  St.  Dominic  founded  the  Inquisition.  The 
tender  painting  of  this  lovely  work  needs  no 
commendation. 

222.  School  of  Filippo  Lippi.  Madonna  and 
angels,  characteristic  of  the  type  of  this  painter 
and  his  followers. 

Above  it,  Neri  di  Bicci.  Madonna,  very 
wooden.  He  was  a belated  Giottesque,  who 
turned  out  such  antiquated  types  by  hundreds 
in  the  fifteenth  century. 

School  of  Benozzo  Gozzoli.  Madonna  and 
Child.  On  the  left,  St.  Cosmo  and  St.  Damian, 
with  pens  and  surgeons’  boxes;  St.  Jerome, 
with  stone,  lion,  and  cardinal’s  hat ; his  pen 
and  book  denote  him  as  translator  of  the 
Vulgate.  On  the  right,  St.  John  Baptist 
(representing  Florence)  ; St.  Francis  with 
the  stigmata ; St.  Lawrence.  The  combina- 
tion of  saints  shows  the  picture  to  have  been 
painted  in  compliment  to  Lorenzo  de’  Medici. 


Salle  des  Primitifs  and  Salle  DuchateL  139 

Minor  subjects  around  it  are  worthy  of 
study. 

Now  cross  over  the  room  again.  You  come 
at  once  upon  four  pictures  of  nearly  the  same 
size,  painted  for  the  court  of  the  Gonzaga  family 
at  Mantua.  Allegorical  subjects,  intended  for 
the  decoration  of  a hall  or  boudoir.  Most  of 
those  pictures  we  have  hitherto  examined  have 
been  sacred  : we  now  get  an  indication  of  the 
nascent  Renaissance  taste  for  myth  and  allegory. 

429.  Pe^nigino,  Combat  of  Love  and  Chastity. 
A frequent  subject  for  such  situations,  showing 
Perugino  at  his  worst.  Compare  it  with  the 
other  three  of  the  series. 

253.  Mmitegna.  Wisdom  conquering  the 
Vices.  A characteristic  but  unpleasing  example 
of  this  great  Paduan  painter.  Admirable  in 
anatomy,  drawing,  and  perspective : poor  in 
effect.  Observe  the  festoons  in  the  background, 
which  are  favourites  with  the  artist  and  his 
school. 

^252.  Mantegna.  The  amours  of  Mars  and 
Venus  discovered  by  Vulcan.  A beautiful 
composition.  The  guilty  pair,  with  a couch, 
stand  on  a mountain,  representing  Parnassus, 
accompanied  by  Cupid.  Below,  exquisite  group 


140 


Paris. 


of  the  nine  Muses  dancing  (afterward  imitated 
by  Guido).  To  the  left,  Apollo  with  his  lyre, 
as  musician.  On  the  right.  Mercury  and 
Pegasus.  In  the  background,  the  injured  Vulcan 
discovering  the  lovers.  This  splendid  specimen 
of  early  Renaissance  art  is  one  of  Mantegna’s 
finest.  Study  it  in  detail,  and  compare  with 
the  other  three  which  it  accompanies.  Observe 
the  life  and  movement  in  the  dancing  Muses : 
also,  the  growing  Renaissance  love  for  the 
nude,  exemplified  in  the  Venus. 

154.  Costa.  The  Court  of  Isabella  d’Este. 
The  meaning  of  the  figures  is  now  undecipher- 
able, but  the  general  character  indicates  peace, 
and  devotion  to  literature,  science,  and  art.  A 
fine  example  of  the  Ferrarese  master. 

Between  these  four,  Mantegna,  (251). 
Madonna  della  Vittoria,  a most  characteristic 
picture,  painted  for  Giovanni  Francesco  Gon- 
zaga.  Marquis  of  Mantua,  to  commemorate  his 
victory  over  Charles  VIII.  of  France.  The 
Madonna  is  enthroned  under  a most  charac- 
teristic canopy  of  fruit  and  flowers,  with  pend- 
ants of  coral  and  other  decorative  adjuncts. 
On  the  left,  Gonzaga  himself,  kneeling  in 
gratitude,  — a ruffianly  face,  well  painted.  On 


Salle  des  Primitifs  and  Salle  Duchatel.  14 1 

the  right,  St.  Elizabeth,  mother  of  the  Baptist, 
with  St.  John  Baptist  himself,  representing  the 
marquis’s  wife.  Behind,  the  patron  saints  of 
Mantua,  who  assisted  in  the  victory  : St.  Michael 
the  Archangel  (the  warrior  saint,  — a most  noble 
figure),  St.  Andrew  (Mantegna’s  name-saint), 
St.  Longinus,  who  pierced  the  side  of  Christ, 
and  St.  George.  The  whole  is  exquisitely 
beautiful.  The  detail  deserves  long  and  atten- 
tive study.  The  reliefs  on  the  pedestal  are 
characteristic.  From  the  church  of  the  same 
name,  erected  in  commemoration  of  the  victory 
(of  the  Taro).  I will  return  hereafter  at  greater 
length  to  this  lovely  picture. 

Above,  to  the  left  (*418),  Cosimo  Tura, 
Pieta,  or  body  of  Christ  wept  over  by  the 
Madonna  and  angels.  In  drawing  and  colour- 
ing a characteristic  example  of  this  harsh,  but 
very  original  and  powerful,  Ferrarese  master. 
You  will  come  hereafter  on  many  Pietas.  Com- 
pare them  all,  and  note  the  attitude  and  func- 
tions of  the  angels. 

Cross  over  again  to  the  opposite  side.  (183) 
Botticelli.  Round  Madonna  and  angels,  very 
characteristic  as  to  the  drawing,  but  inferior  in 
technique  to  most  of  his  works. 


142 


Paris. 


221.  Filippo  Lippi,  Madonna  in  Glory,  with 
angels.  The  roundness  of  the  faces,  especially 
in  the  child  angels,  is  very  characteristic.  At 
her  feet,  two  Florentine  patron  saints.  The 
absence  of  symbols  makes  them  difficult  to 
identify,  but  I think  they  represent  St.  Zenobius 
and  St.  Antonine.  Very  fine. 

184.  Botticelli,  Madonna  and  Child,  with 
St.  John  of  Florence.  The  wistful  expressions 
strike  the  key  note  of  this  painter.  Compare 
with  nameless  Florentine  Madonna  of  the  same 
school  above  it. 

220.  Fra  Filippo  Lippi,  Nativity.  Worthy 
of  careful  study,  especially  for  the  accessories : 
St.  Joseph,  the  stall  and  bottle,  the  saddle,  ox 
and  ass,  and  wattles,  ruined  temple,  etc.,  which 
reappear  in  many  similar  pictures.  Not  a 
favourable  example  of  the  master.  Beneath 
it,  little  fragments  with  St.  Peter  Martyr,  Visi- 
tation, Christ  and  Magdalen,  meeting  of  Francis 
and  Dominic,  and  St.  Paul  the  Hermit.  An 
odd  conglomeration,  whose  meaning  cannot  now 
be  deciphered.  The  ruined  temple,  frequently 
seen  in  Nativities  and  Adorations  of  the  Magi, 
typifies  the  downfall  of  Paganism  before  the 
advance  of  Christianity. 


Salle  des  Primitifs  and  Salle  Duchatel.  143 

Beside  it,  Ghirlandajo,  Portrait  of  bottle- 
nosed man  and  child.  Admirable  and  charac- 
teristic. 

202.  Ghirlmidajo,  Visitation.  Probably 
the  master's  finest  easel  picture.  Splendid 
colour.  Attitudes  of  the  Madonna  and  St. 
Elizabeth  characteristic  of  the  type.  The 
scene  habitually  takes  place  in  front  of  a portal, 
as  here,  with  the  heads  of  the  main  actors  more 
or  less  silhouetted  against  the  arch  in  the 
background.  At  the  sides,  Mary  Salome,  and 
‘^the  other  Mary."  Such  saints  are  introduced 
merely  as  spectators  : they  need  not  even  be 
contemporary : they  are  included  in  purely  ideal 
groupings.  At  Florence,  in  a similar  scene, 
the  as  yet  unborn  St.  John  the  Baptist  stands 
by  as  an  assessor. 

185.  Venus  and  Cupid,  of  the  school  of 
Botticelli,  Very  pleasing. 

347.  Cosimo  Rosselli,  Madonna  in  an  almond- 
shaped  glory  (mandorla)  of  red  and  blue  cherubs. 
On  the  left,  the  Magdalen ; on  the  right,  St. 
Bernard,  to  whom  she  appeared,  writing  down 
his  vision ; about,  adoring  angels.  A character- 
istic example  of  this  harsh  Florentine  painter. 

156.  We  come  at  once  upon  the  High 


144 


Paris. 


Renaissance  in  Lorenzo  di  Credis  beautiful 
Virgin  and  Child,  flanked  by  St.  Julian  and 
St.  Nicholas.  Observe  the  three  balls  of  gold 
in  the  corner  by  the  latter’s  feet,  representative 
of  the  three  purses  thrown  to  the  nobleman’s 
daughters.  Notice  also  the  Renaissance  archn 
tecture  and  decorations.  In  pictures  of  this 
class,  the  saints  to  accompany  the  Madonna 
were  ordered  by  the  person  giving  the  com- 
mission ; the  artist  could  only  exercise  his 
discretion  as  to  the  grouping.  Notice  how 
this  varies  with  the  advance  of  the  Renaissance  : 
at  first  stiffly  placed  in  pairs,  the  saints  finally 
form  a group  with  characteristic  action.  The 
execution  of  this  lovely  work  shows  Lorenzo 
as  one  of  the  finest  artists  of  his  period. 

70.  Bianchi^  a rare  Ferrarese  master.  Ma- 
donna enthroned,  with  saints.  The  angel  on 
the  step  is  characteristically  Ferrarese,  as  are 
also  the  reliefs  and  architecture. 

467.  Ascetic  figure  of  San  Giovanni  di  Capis- 
trano. 

435.  School  of  PevMgino.  Little  Madonna, 
in  an  almond-shaped  glory  of  cherubs.  The 
shape  belongs  to  Christ,  or  saints,  ascending 
into  glory. 


Salle  des  Primitifs  and  Salle  Duchatel.  145 

Next  it,  front  of  a chest,  containing  the  story 
of  Europa  and  the  bull.  Several  episodes  are 
combined  in  a single  picture.  To  the  extreme 
left,  the  transformed  lover,  like  the  prince  in 
a fairy  tale.  Most  gracefully  treated. 

61.  Bellini,  Madonna  and  Child,  between 
St.  Peter  and  St.  Sebastian  ; a plague  picture. 
These  half-length  Madonnas  are  very  charac- 
teristic of  Venetian  art  of  the  period.  The 
Madonna’s  faee  and  strong  neck  also  very 
Venetian.  Observe  them  as  the  type  on  which 
Titian’s  are  modelled.  Look  long  at  this  soft 
and  melting  pieture.  The  gentle,  noble  faee, 
the  dainty  dress,  the  beautiful  painting  of  the 
nude  in  the  St.  Sebastian,  are  all  redolent  of 
the  finest  age  of  Venetian  painting. 

Above  it,  a good  Tura,  Compare  with  pre- 
vious one. 

60.  School  of  Gentile  Bellini,  Venetian  am- 
bassador received  at  Cairo.  Oriental  tinge 
frequent  at  Venice.  This  gate  can  still  be  rec- 
ognised at  Cairo.  The  figures  are  all  por- 
traits, and  the  painter  probably  accompanied 
the  ambassador,  Domenico  Trevisano. 

Beneath  it  (59),  two  fine  portraits  by  Gentile 
Bellini, 


146 


Paris. 


664.  Characteristic  little  Montagna,  Angels 
at  the  base  of  a Madonna  now  destroyed. 
Compare  the  Bianchi  almost  opposite.  Such 
angels  are  frequent  in  the  school  of  Bellini. 

152.  Attributed  to  Cima,  Madonna  En- 
throned, with  St.  John  Baptist  and  the  Mag- 
dalen. These  lofty  thrones  and  landscape 
backgrounds  of  the  Friuli  country  are  frequent 
with  Cima  and  Venetian  painters  of  his  period. 

1 1 3.  Carpaccio,  Preaching  of  St.  Stephen. 
One  of  a series  of  the  life  of  St.  Stephen,  now 
scattered.  The  saint  is  in  deacon’s  robes,  as 
usual ; Oriental  costumes  mark  the  intercourse 
of  Venice  with  the  East.  Observe  the  archi- 
tecture, a graceful  compound  of  Venetian  and 
Oriental. 

Over  the  doorway,  fresco  of  God  the  Father, 
in  an  almond-shaped  glory,  from  the  Villa  Ma- 
gliana.  Purchased  as  a Raphael,  probably  by 
Lo  Spagna, 

Return  frequently  to  this  room  and  study  it 
deeply.  It  will  give  you  the  key  to  all  the 
others. 

Now  traverse  the  Salon  Carre  and  enter  the 
Salle  Duchatel.  On  the  right  wall  are  two  ex- 
quisite frescoes  by  Luini,  removed  entire  from 


Salle  des  Primitifs  and  Salle  Duchatel.  147 

walls  in  Milan.  To  the  left,  the  Adoration  of 
the  Magi,  exquisitely  tender  and  graceful ; 
study  it  closely  as  an  example  both  of  painter 
and  subject,  noting  the  ages  and  attitudes  of 
the  three  kings,  the  youngest  (as  usual)  a 
Moor,  and  the  exquisite  face  and  form  of  the 
Madonna.  To  the  right,  a Nativity,  equally 
characteristic.  Look  long  at  them.  Between, 
Christ  blessing,  not  quite  so  beautiful ; and 
Genii  with  grapes,  an  antique  motive.  Above 
are  three  other  frescoes  of  the  school  of  Luini, 
not  so  fine.  Centre,  Annunciation,  the  Ma- 
donna separated  (as  often)  from  the  angel  by  a 
lily.  The  Madonna  never  approaches  the 
angel,  and  is  usually  divided  by  a wall  or 
barrier. 

On  the  screen  by  the  door,  good  portraits 
by  Antonio  Moro. 

Other  side  of  door  (680),  Madonna  and 
Child,  with  the  donors  of  the  picture,  by  Haiis 
Memling.  This  beautiful  Flemish  picture 
well  represents  the  characteristics  of  Flemish 
as  opposed  to  Italian  art.  Notice  the  want  of 
ideality  in  the  Virgin  and  Child,  contrasted 
with  the  admirable  portraiture  of  the  donors, 
the  chief  of  whom  is  introduced  by  his  name- 


148 


Paris. 


sake,  St.  James,  recognisable  by  his  staff  and 
scallop-shell.  The  female  donors,  several  of 
whom  are  Dominican  nuns,  are  similarly  intro- 
duced by  their  founder,  St.  Dominic,  whose 
black  and  white  robes  and  star-like  halo  serve  to 
identify  him.  Observe  the  exquisite  finish  of 
the  hair  and  all  the  details.  Study  this  work 
\ for  the  Flemish  spirit. 

At  the  far  end  of  the  room  are  two  pictures 
by  IfigreSy  marking  the  interval  covered  by 
French  art  during  the  lifetime  of  that  great 
painter.  To  the  left,  CEdipus  and  the  Sphinx, 
produced  in  the  classical  period  of  the  master’s 
youth,  while  he  was  still  under  the  malign  in- 
fluence of  David.  On  the  right,  La  Source, 
perhaps  the  most  exquisitely  virginal  delinea- 
tion of  the  nude  ever  achieved  in  painting. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


SALON  CARRE. 


FTER  having  traversed  these  two  rooms 


the  spectator  will  probably  be  able  to 
attack  the  Salon  Carre,  which  contains  what 
are  considered  by  the  authorities  as  the  gems  of 
the  collection,  irrespective  of  period  or  country 
(a  very  regrettable  jumble).  Almost  all  of 
them,  therefore,  deserve  attention.  I shall 
direct  notice  here  chiefly  to  those  which  re- 
quire some  explanation.  Begin  to  the  left  of 
the  door  which  leads  from  the  Salle  Duchatel. 

Close  to  the  door,  Apollo  and  Marsyas ; a 
delicate  little  Periigino,  attributed  to  Raphael. 
Good  treatment  of  the  nude,  and  painted  like 
a miniature.  Renaissance  feeling.  Compare 
it  with  the  St.  Sebastian  in  the  Salle  des 
Primitifs. 

Above  it,  Jehan  de  Paris.  Madonna  and 
Child,  with  the  donors  ; a characteristic  and  ex- 


150 


Paris. 


ceptionally  beautiful  example  of  the  early 
French  school.  Contrast  its  character  with  the 
Italian  and  Flemish.  Extremely  regal  and 
fond  of  tinsel  ornament. 

20.  Correggio,  Jupiter  and  Antiope,  a good 
example  of  his  Correggiosity  and  marvellous  ar- 
rangement of  light  and  shade.  Very  late 
Renaissance.  Perfection  of  art ; very  little 
feeling. 

* 446.  Titian.  Entombment.  A fine,  but 
faded  example  of  the  colour  and  treatment  of 
the  prince  of  the  Venetian  Renaissance. 

231.  Luini.  Virgin  and  Child.  Not  a 
pleasing  example. 

^419  and  **417.  Two  admirable  portraits 
by  Rembrandt. 

**250.  Mantegna.  Crucifixion,  predella  or 
base  of  the  great  picture  in  San  Zeno  at  Verona. 
Notice  the  admirable  antique  character  of  the 
soldiers  casting  lots  for  Christ’s  raiment.  The 
rocks  are  very  Mantegnesque  in  treatment. 
One  of  the  artist’s  finest  pictures.  Spend  some 
time  before  it.  We  will  return  again  to  this 
fine  painting. 

381.  Andrea  del  Sarto.  Holy  Family.  Show- 
ing well  the  character  of  this  master’s  tender 


Salon  Carre. 


and  melting  coloar ; also  the  altered  Renais- 
sance treatment  of  the  subject. 

Beyond  the  doorway,  two  dainty  little  Mem- 
lings.  Marriage  of  St.  Catherine,  the  Alexan- 
drian princess,  to  the  infant  Christ ; and  the 
donor  with  St.  John  Baptist  and  his  lamb. 
When  a saint  places  his  hand  on  a votary’s 
shoulder,  it  usually  indicates  the  patron  whose 
name  the  votary  bears. 

Near  it,  graceful  little  St.  Sebastian  of  the 
Umbrian  School.  Compare  with  others.  This 
plague-saint  is  one  of  the  few  to  whom  medi- 
aeval piety  permitted  nudity. 

*310.  Raphael.  The  great  St.  Michael, 
painted  for  Francois  Admirable  in  its 

instantaneous  dramatic  action.  This  picture 
may  be  taken,  in  its  spirit  and  vigour,  as 
marking  the  culminating  point  of  the  Italian 
Renaissance  as  here  represented. 

Near  it,  Titian.  The  Man  with  the  Glove ; 
a fine  portrait. 

**  19.  Correggio.  The  Marriage  of  St. 
Catherine.  This  is  a characteristic  treatment, 
by  the  great  painter  of  Parma,  of  this  mystical 
subject.  St.  Catherine  is  treated  as  an  Italian 
princess  of  his  own  time,  on  whose  finger  the 


152 


Paris. 


infant  Christ  playfully  places  a ring.  The  ac^ 
tion  has  absolutely  no  mystic  solemnity. 
Behind  stands  St.  Sebastian,  with  his  arrows 
to  mark  him  (without  them  you  would  not 
know  him  from  a classical  figure),  looking  on 
with  amused  attention.  His  smile  is  lovely. 
In  the  background,  episodes  of  the  martyrdom 
of  St.  Sebastian,  proving  this  to  be  probably  a 
plague  picture.  But  the  whole  work,  though 
admirable  as  art,  has  in  it  nothing  of  religion, 
and  may  be  aptly  compared  as  to  tone  with  the 
Education  of  Cupid  by  the  same  artist  in  the 
National  Gallery.  Nothing  could  surpass 
the  beauty  of  the  light  and  shade,  and  the  ex- 
quisite colouring.  Study  it  as  a type  of  the 
last  word  of  the  humanist  Renaissance  against 
mediaeval  spirituality.  Compare  it  with  the 
Memling  close  by,  and,  if  you  have  been  at 
Milan,  with  the  exquisitely  dainty  Luini  in  the 
Poldi-Pezzoli  Museum. 

Above  it,  a Holy  Family  by  Murillo,  Span- 
ish and  theatrical. 

The  greater  part  of  this  wall  is  taken  up  by 
an  enormous  canvas  (95),  by  Paolo  Veronese 
representing  the  Marriage  at  Cana  of  Galilee 
from  the  refectory  (or  dining-hall)  of  Sai 


VERONESE.  — MARRIAGE  AT  CANA. 


Salon  Carre. 


153 


Giorgio  Maggiore  at  Venice.  Pictures  of  this 
subject,  or  of  the  Last  Supper,  or  of  the  Feast 
in  the  House  of  Levi,  were  constantly  placed 
as  appropriate  decorations  to  fill  the  end  wall  of 
monastic  refectories  (like  the  famous  Lionardo 
at  Milan),  and  were  often  therefore  gigantic  in 
size.  This  monstrous  and  very  effective  com- 
position (proudly  pointed  out  by  the  guides  as 
‘Hhe  largest  oil-painting  in  the  world  ”)  contains 
nothing  of  sacred,  and  merely  reflects  with  ad- 
mirable skill  the  lordly  character  of  the  Italian 
Renaissance.  In  the  centre  of  the  table,  one 
barely  notices  the  figures  of  the  Christ  and  the 
Madonna.  Attention  is  distracted  both  from 
them  and  from  the  miracle  of  the  wine  by  the 
splendid  architecture  of  the  background,  the 
loggias,  the  accessories,  and  the  gorgeous 
guests,  many  of  them  representing  contempo- 
rary sovereigns  (among  them  Francois  Lb 
Eleanor  of  Austria.  Charles  V.,  and  Sultan 
Soliman).  The  group  of  musicians  in  the  cen- 
tre foreground  is  also  composed  of  portraits,  — 
this  time  of  contemporary  painters  (Titian,  Tin- 
toretto, etc.).  As  a whole,  a most  characteris- 
tic picture  both  of  the  painter  and  his  epoch, 
worth  some  study,  and  full  of  good  detail. 


154 


Paris. 


**  39.  Giorgione.  Pastoral  scene,  with  nude 
figures.  One  of  the  few  undoubted  pictures 
by  this  master,  whose  genuineness  is  admitted 
by  Morelli,  though  much  repainted.  Should 
be  studied  as  an  example  of  the  full  flush  of 
the  Venetian  Renaissance,  and  of  the  great 
master  who  so  deeply  affected  it.  Notice  the 
admirable  painting  of  the  nude,  and  the  fine 
landscape  in  the  background.  Contrast  with 
the  Bellinis  in  the  Salle  des  Primitifs,  in  order 
to  mark  time  and  show  the  advance  in  technique 
and  spirit.  Giorgione  set  a fashion,  followed 
later  by  Titian  and  others.  Compare  this  work 
with  Titian's  Jupiter  and  Antiope  in  the  Long 
Gallery. 

Above  it  (*427)  Ritbens.  Adoration  of  the 
Magi.  A splendid  picture.  Interesting  also 
as  showing  how  far  Rubens  transformed  the 
conceptions  of  the  earlier  masters.  Compare 
it  with  the  Luini  in  the  Salle  Duchatel,  and 
other  Adorations  in  this  gallery.  Full  of  gor- 
geousness, dash,  and  certainty  of  execution. 

37.  Antonello  da  Messina,  Characteristic 
hard-faced  portrait  by  this  excellent  Sicilian 
artist. 

**459.  Lionardo,  St.  Anne  and  the  Virgin. 


Salon  Carre. 


155 


This  great  artist  can  be  better  studied  in 
the  Louvre  than  anywhere  else  in  the  world. 
This  picture,  not  perhaps  entirely  by  his  own 
hand,  is  noticeable  for  the  beautiful  and  very 
Lionardesque  face  of  St.  Anne,  the  playful 
figure  of  the  infant  Christ,  and  the  admir- 
able blue-toned  landscape  in  the  background. 
The  smiles  are  also  thoroughly  Lionardesque. 
Notice  the  excellent  drawing  of  the  feet.  The 
curious  composition  — the  Virgin  sitting  on 
St.  Anne’s  lap  — is  traditional.  Two  or 
three  examples  of  it  occur  in  the  National 
Gallery.  Lionardo  transformed  it.  He  is  the 
great,  scientific  artist  of  the  Florentine  Renais- 
sance. 

208.  Hans  Holbein,  the  younger.  Admirable 
portrait  of  Erasmus.  Full  of  character.  Note 
carefully.  The  hands  alone  are  worth  much 
study.  How  soft  they  are,  and  how  absolutely 
the  hands  of  a scholar  immersed  in  his  reading 
and  writing. 

108.  Clonet.  Elizabeth  of  Austria.  A fine 
example  of  the  early  French  school,  marking 
well  its  hard  manner  and  literal  accuracy.  It 
shows  the  style  in  vogue  in  Paris  before  the 
School  of  Fontainebleau  (Italian  artists  intro- 


156 


Paris. 


duced  by  Francois  had  brought  in  Renais- 
sance methods. 

**  162.  Van  Eyck,  Madonna  and  Child, 
with  the  Chancellor  Rollin  in  adoration.  Per- 
haps Van  Eyck’s  masterpiece.  Notice  the 
comparatively  wooden  Flemish  Madonna  and 
Child,  contrasted  with  the  indubitable  vitality 
and  character  in  the  face  of  the  chancellor. 
This  picture  is  a splendid  example  of  the  high- 
est evolution  of  that  type  in  which  a votary  is 
exhibited  adoring  the  Madonna,  — the  primitive 
form  of  portrait : Paint  me  in  the  corner,  as 
giving  the  picture.”  Every  detail  of  this  fin- 
ished work  deserves  long  and  close  inspection. 
Notice  the  elaboration  of  the  ornaments,  and 
the  delicious  glimpse  of  landscape  through  the 
arcade  in  the  background.  Compare  with  the 
Memlings  ; also  with  contemporary  Italian  work 
in  the  Salle  des  Primitifs. 

**  3^2.  Raphael.  Madonna  and  Child,  with 
infant  St.  John,  known  as  ‘^La  Belle  Jardi- 
niere.” To  the  familiar  group  of  the  Madonna 
and  Child,  P'lorentine  painters  and  sculptors 
early  added  the  infant  Baptist,  as  patron  of 
their  city,  thus  forming  a graceful  pyramidal 
composition.  This  exquisite  picture,  by  far  the 


RAPHAEL.  — LA  BELLE  JARDINIERE. 


Salon  Carre. 


157 


most  beautiful  Raphael  in  the  Louvre,  belongs 
to  the  great  painter’s  Florentine  period.  It 
should  be  compared  with  the  very  similar 
Madonna  del  Cardellino  in  the  Uffizi  at  Flor- 
ence. For  simplicity  of  treatment  and  beauty 
of  colouring  this  seems  to  me  the  loveliest  of 
Raphael’s  Madonnas,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Granduca.  Look  at  it  long,  for  colour,  design, 
and  tender  feeling.  Then  go  back  to  the  St. 
Michael,  and  see  how,  as  Raphael  gains  in 
dramatic  vigour,  he  loses  in  charm. 

407.  Remhmidt,  Christ  and  the  Disciples 
at  Emmaus.  A fine  study  in  light  and  shade, 
and  full  of  art,  but  not  a sacred  picture.  Com- 
pare with  other  pictures  of  the  scene  in  this 
gallery.  The  feeling  is  merely  domestic. 

433.  Rubens.  Tomyris,  Queen  of  the  Scy- 
thians, with  the  head  of  Cyrus.  A fine,  vigor- 
ous painting,  with  the  action  frankly  transferred 
to  the  court  of  Henri  IV.  Dash  and  colour 
and  all  the  Rubens  attributes. 

365.  Raphael.  Small  Holy  Family. 

364.  Raphael.  Holy  Family,  known  as  the 
‘‘  Sainte  Famille  de  Frangois  P** : ” Joseph, 
Madonna,  infant  Christ,  St.  Elizabeth  and  the 
Baptist,  and  adoring  angels.  Belongs  to  Ra- 


158 


Paris. 


phael’s  Roman  period,  and  already  vaguely 
heralds  the  decadence.  Admirable  in  compo- 
sition and  painting,  but  lacking  the  simplicity 
and  delicacy  of  colour  of  his  earlier  work. 
Compare  it  with  the  Belle  Jardiniere.  It 
marks  the  distance  traversed  in  art  during  his 
lifetime.  The  knowledge  is  far  greater,  the 
feeling  less. 

142.  Van  Dyck,  Charles  I.  A famous 
and  splendid  portrait,  with  all  the  courtly  grace 
of  this  stately  painter. 

462.  Lionardo.  Portrait  of  Mona  Lisa. 
Most  undoubted  work  of  the  master  in  exist- 
ence. Has  lost  much  of  its  flesh  tints  by 
darkening,  but  is  still  subtly  beautiful.  Com- 
pare with  any  of  the  portraits  in  the  Salle  des 
Primitifs,  in  order  to  understand  the  increase 
in  science  which  made  Lionardo  the  prince 
and  leader  of  the  Renaissance.  The  sweet  and 
sphinx-like  smile  is  particularly  characteristic. 
Observe  the  exquisite  modelling  of  the  hands, 
and  the  dainty  landscape  background.  Do  not 
hurry  away  from  it. 

363.  Raphael,  Madonna  with  the  infant 
St.  John,  known  as  ‘‘La  Vierge  au  Voile.'’  A 
work  of  his  early  Roman  period,  intermediate 


LIONARDO  DA  VINCI. — MONA  LISA. 


c.  :-v 

■ ■ .■  ' y ft  i> 

f;;' 

V^- 


Salon  Carre. 


159 

in  style  between  the  Belle  Jardiniere  and  the 
Francois  Compare  them  carefully. 

Above  it  (379)  Andrea  del  Sarto,  Charity. 
A fine  example  of  Andrea’s  soft  and  tender 
colouring. 

*523.  Portrait  of  a young  man.  Long 
attributed  to  Raphael.  More  probably  Francia- 
bigio.  Pensive  and  dignified. 

452.  Titian.  Alphonso  of  Ferrara  and  His 
Mistress.  A fine  portrait,  with  its  colour  largely 
faded. 

Above  it,  154.  Good  portrait  by  Van 
Dyck. 

539.  Murillo.  The  Immaculate  Conception. 
Luminous  and  pretty,  in  an  affected  showy 
Spanish  manner.  Foreshadows  the  modern 
religious  art  of  the  people.  An  immense 
favourite  with  the  inartistic  public. 

1 2 1.  Gerard  Don.  The  Dropsical  Woman. 
A triumph  of  Dutch  painting  of  light  and  shade 
and  detail.  Faces  like  miniatures.  The  lamp 
and  curtain  like  nature.  Illuminated  on  the 
darkest  day.  Examine  it  attentively. 

293.  Metsu.  Officer  and  Lady.  Another 
masterpiece  of  Dutch  minuteness,  but  far  less 
fine  in  execution. 


1 6o  Paris. 

526.  Ter  Borch,  Similar  subject  treated 
with  coarse  directness. 

^*551.  Velasquez,  The  Infanta  Marguerite  ; 
a famous  portrait. 

A little  above  it  (229),  Sebastiano  del  Piombo, 
Visitation.  Compare  with  the  Ghirlandajo  in 
the  Salle  des  Primitifs.  A very  favourable 
example  of  this  Venetian  master,  painted  in 
rivalry  with  Raphael.  It  well  exhibits  the 
height  often  attained,  even  by  minor  masters, 
at  the  culminating  point  of  the  Renaissance. 

Above,  occupying  a large  part  of  the  wall, 
Paolo  Veronese,  Christ  and  the  Magdalen, 
at  the  supper  in  the  house  of  Levi.  Another 
refectory  picture,  treated  in  Veronese's  large 
and  brilliant  manner,  essentially  as  a scene  of 
lordly  Venetian  life.  The  Pharisee  facing 
Christ  is  a fine  figure.  Notice  the  intrusion  of 
animals  and  casual  spectators,  habitual  with 
this  artist.  The  sense  of  air  and  space  is  fine. 
The  whole  picture  is  instinct  with  Venetian 
feeling  of  the  period ; scenic,  not  sacred.  A 
lordly  treatment.  Earlier  painters  set  their 
scene  in  smaller  buildings : the  Venetians  of 
this  gorgeous  age  chose  rather  the  Piazza  of 
some  mighty  Renaissance  Italian  city.  Here, 


Salon  Carre. 


i6i 


the  architecture  recalls  the  style  of  Sansovino. 
This  room  also  contains  many  good  works  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  justly  skied.  Examine 
them  by  contrast  with  the  paintings  of  the  best 
ages  of  art  beneath  them.  Return  to  them 
later,  after  you  have  examined  the  works  of  the 
French  artists  in  later  rooms  of  this  gallery. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


LONG  GALLERY. 


OW  proceed  into  the  Long  Gallery,  which 


^ ^ contains  in  its  first  compartment  works  of 
the  high  Renaissance  masters,  transitional  from 
the  conventionality  of  the  fifteenth,  to  the  free- 
dom of  the  sixteenth,  and  the  theatrical  tend- 
ency of  the  seventeenth  centuries.  Begin  on 
the  left,  and  follow  that  wall  as  far  as  the  first 
archway. 

Francia,  Crucifixion,  with  Madonna  and  St. 
John,  and  Job  extended  at  the  foot  of  the  cross, 
probably  indicating  a votive  plague  offering. 
A tolerable  example  of  the  great  Bolognese 
painter,  from  the  church  of  San  Giobbe,  pa- 
triarch and  plague-saint,  at  Bologna. 

Ansuino  (?)  Adoration  of  the  Magi.  Note 
coincidences  with  others. 

308..  Fra^icia.  Madonna.  A fair  example. 


163 


Long  Gallery. 

168.  Dosso.  St.  Jerome  in  the  Desert.  In- 
teresting as  showing  a later  treatment  of  this 
familiar  subject. 

230.  Liiini,  Holy  Family.  A good  speci- 
men of  Luini’s  easel  work.  Compare  with  the 
frescoes  in  the  Salle  Duchatel.  The  hair  is 
characteristic,  also  the  oval  face  and  cast  of 
features. 

Near  it,  two  works  by  Mmxo  da  OggionOy 
a pupil  of  Lionardo.  His  work  and  Luini’s 
should  be  compared  with  that  of  the  founder 
of  the  school.  The  differences  and  agreements 
should  be  observed.  Notice  also  the  survivals 
from  earlier  treatment. 

354.  Sacchi,  The  Four  Doctors  of  the 
Church,  attended  by  the  symbols  of  the  four 
Evangelists.  This  is  a composition  which  fre- 
quently recurs  in  early  art.  On  the  left  St. 
Augustine,  holding  his  book  De  Civitate  Dei,” 
with  the  eagle  of  St.  John.  Next,  St.  Gregory, 
inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit  as  a dove,  and 
accompanied  by  the  bull  of  St.  Luke.  Then, 
St.  Jerome,  in  his  cardinal’s  hat,  with  the  angel 
of  St.  Matthew.  Lastly,  St.  Ambrose  with  his 
scourge  (alluding  to  his  action  in  closing  the 
doors  of  the  church  at  Milan  on  the  Emperor 


164 


Paris. 


Theodosius  after  the  massacre  of  Thessalonica), 
accompanied  by  the  winged  lion  of  St.  Mark. 
An  interesting  symbolical  composition,  deserv- 
ing close  study. 

232.  Luini,  The  daughter  of  Herodias  with 
the  head  of  St.  John  Baptist.  A favourite  sub- 
ject with  the  artist,  who  often  repeated  it. 
Compare  it  with  his  other  works  in  this  gallery, 
till  you  feel  you  begin  to  understand  Luini. 

Above  it,  Bo7^gognone.  Presentation  in  the 
Temple.  In  the  pallid  colouring  peculiar  to  this 
charming  Lombard  master.  Observe  the  posi- 
tions of  the  high  priest  and  other  personages. 

85.  Borgogno7ie,  St.  Peter  Martyr  introduc- 
ing or  commending  a lady  donor  to  the  Ma- 
donna. One  panel  of  a triptych  ; the  rest  of  it 
is  wanting.  Look  out  for  similar  figures  of 
saints  introducing  votaries.  St.  Peter  Martyr 
has  usually  a wound  or  a knife  in  his  head,  to 
indicate  the  mode  of  his  martyrdom. 

Beneath,  a quaint  little  Lionardesque  Annun- 
ciation. 

Solaiio.  Calvary,  characteristic  of  the  school 
of  Lionardo. 

Beneath  it,  394,  ^Solario.  Madonna  with  the 
Green  Cushion.  His  masterpiece,  a graceful 


SOLARIO.  — MADONNA  WITH  THE  GREEN  CUSHION, 


Long  Gallery.  165 

and  tender  work,  exhibiting  the  growing  taste 
of  the  Renaissance. 

458.  Attributed  to  Lionardo.  The  young 
St.  John  Baptist.  Hair,  smile,  and  treatment 
characteristic;  but  possibly  a copy.  You  will 
meet  with  many  similar  St.  Johns  in  Florentine 
sculpture  below  hereafter. 

465.  School  of  Lionardo,  Holy  Family.  St. 
Michael  the  Archangel  oddly  introduced  in  order 
to  permit  the  Child  Christ  to  play  with  the  scales 
in  which  he  weighs  souls, — a curious  Renais- 
sance conception,  wholly  out  of  keeping  with 
earlier  reverential  feeling. 

^ 460.  Lionardo,  La  Vierge  aux  Rochers.'' 
A replica  of  the  picture  in  the  National  Gallery 
in  London.  Much  faded,  but  probably  genuine. 
Examine  closely  the  rocks,  the  Madonna,  and 
the  angel. 

395.  Solario,  Good  portrait  of  Charles 
d’Amboise,  a member  of  the  great  French 
family,  who  will  frequently  crop  up  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Renaissance. 

461.  Attributed  to  Lionardo ^ more  probably 
Bernardino  de'  Conti,  Portrait  of  a Lady.  Com- 
pare with  the  Mona  Lisa,  as  exhibiting  well  the 
real  advance  in  portraiture  made  by  Lionardo. 


Paris. 


i66 

463.  Attributed  to  Lionardo^  but  probably 
spurious  ; Bacchus,  a fine  youthful  figure,  be- 
gun as  a St.  John  Baptist,  and  afterward 
altered.  Compare  with  the  other  St.  John 
Baptist  near  it. 

* Beltraffio.  The  Madonna  of  the  Casio  fam- 
ily. A characteristic  Lionardesque  virgin,  at- 
tended by  St.  John  Baptist  and  the  bleeding 
St.  Sebastian.  (A  votive  picture.)  By  her 
side  kneel  two  members  of  the  Casio  family, 
one  the  poet  of  that  name,  crowned  with  laurel. 
Intermediate  Renaissance  treatment  of  the 
Madonna  and  donors. 

78  and  79.  Good  Franciscan  saints,  by 
Moretto, 

Between  them,  298.  Charming  Girolamo  dai 
Libri. 

We  now  come  upon  a magnificent  series  of 
works  by  Titian,  in  whom  the  Venetian  school, 
ill-represented  in  its  origin  in  the  Salle  des 
Primitifs,  finds  its  culminating  point. 

**  440.  Titian.  The  Madonna  with  the  Rab- 
bit. This  is  one  of  a group  of  Titian’s  Ma- 
donnas (several  examples  here)  in  which  he 
endeavours  to  transform  Bellini’s  type  (see  the 
specimen  in  the  Salle  des  Primitifs)  into  an 


i6j 


Long  Gallery. 

ideal  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  Madonna 
is  here  attended  by  St.  Catherine  of  Alexandria 
marked  as  a princess  by  her  coronet  and  pearls. 
The  child,  bursting  from  her  arms,  plays  with 
the  rabbit.  Onee  more  a notion  far-removed 
from  primitive  piety.  Notice  the  background 
of  Titian’s  own  country.  Landscape  is  now 
beginning  to  struggle  for  recognition.  Earlier 
art  was  all  figures,  first  sacred,  then  also 
mythologieal. 

445.  Titian,  The  Crown  of  Thorns.  A 
powerful  but  very  painful  painting.  The  artist 
is  chiefiy  occupied  with  anatomy  and  the  pres- 
entation of  writhing  emotion.  The  spiritual  is 
lost  in  muscular  action. 

^^443.  Titian.  The  Disciples  at  Emmaus. 
Treated  in  the  contemporary  Venetian  manner. 
This  is  again  a subject  whose  variations  can  be 
well  traeed  in  this  gallery. 

451.  Titian.  Allegory  of  a husband  who 
leaves  for  a campaign,  commending  his  wife  to 
Love  and  Chastity.  Finely  painted. 

450.  Titian.  Portrait  of  Francois  P*".  Fa- 
mous as  having  been  painted  without  a sitting, 
— the  artist  had  never  even  seen  the  king.  He 
took  the  face  from  a medal. 


i68 


Paris. 


448.  Titian.  Council  of  Trent.  Very  much 
to  order. 

Above  it,  ^ Titian.  Jupiter  and  Antiope. 
Charming  Giorgionesque  treatment  of  the  pas- 
toral nude.  Compare  with  the  Giorgione  in  the 
Salon  Carre,  in  order  to  understand  how  deeply 
that  great  painter  influenced  his  contemporaries. 

453.  Titian.  Fine  portrait. 

439.  Titian.  Madonna  with  St.  Stephen, 
St.  Ambrose,  and  St.  Maurice  the  soldier. 
Observe  the  divergence  from  the  older  method 
of  painting  the  accompanying  saints.  Origi- 
nally grouped  on  either  side  the  Madonna,  they 
are  here  transformed  into  the  natural  group 
called  in  Italian  a ‘‘santa  conversazione.’' 
Look  at  the  stages  of  this  process  in  the 
Salle  des  Primitifs  and  this  Long  Gallery. 

442.  Titian.  Another  Holy  Family.  Inter- 
esting from  the  free  mode  of  its  treatment,  in 
contrast  with  Bellini  and  earlier  artists. 

**455.  Titian.  Magnificent  portrait. 

Above  these  are  several  excellent  Bassanos, 
worthy  of  study.  Compare  together  all  these 
Venetian  works  (Bonifazio,  etc.),  lordly  products 
of  a great  aristocratic  mercantile  community ; 
and  with  them,  the  Veroneses  of  the  Salon 


TITIAN.  — JUPITER  AND  ANTIOPE. 


Long  Gallery.  169 

Carr6,  where  the  type  attains  a characteristic 
development. 

Now  return  to  the  door  by  the  Salon  Carre 
and  examine  the  right  wall. 

Poor  P intiiricchio  and  two  inferior  Peruginos. 

403.  Lo  Spagna.  Nativity.  Characteristic 
example  of  this  scholar  of  Perugino  and  fellow 
pupil  of  Raphael.  Notice  its  Peruginesque 
treatment.  Examine  in  detail  and  compare 
with  the  two  other  painters.  As  a Nativity, 
it  is  full  of  the  conventional  elements. 

189.  Raffaellino  del  Garho,  Coronation  of 
the  Virgin,  beheld  from  below  by  four  attendant 
saints  of,  or  connected  with,  the  Vallombrosan 
order,  — St.  Benedict,  St.  Salvi,  San  Giovanni 
Gualberto,  and  San  Bernardo  degli  Uberti. 
These  were  the  patrons  of  Vallombrosa ; and 
the  picture  comes  from  the  church  of  St.  Salvi, 
at  Florence. 

246.  Manni,  Baptism  in  Jordan.  Observe, 
as  usual,  the  attendant  angels,  though  the  sim- 
plicity of  early  treatment  has  wholly  disap- 
peared. The  head-dresses  are  characteristic 
of  the  school  of  Perugino.  Compare  with  Lo 
Spagno's  Nativity. 

Above  it  (496),  Florentine  Madonna,  with 


Paris. 


170 

St.  Augustin,  St.  John  Baptist.  St.  Antony, 
and  St.  Francis.  Observe  their  symbols.  I 
do  not  always  now  call  attention  to  these ; 
but  the  more  you  observe  them,  the  better 
you  will  understand  each  picture  as  you  come 
to  it. 

390.  Luca  Signorelli.  Adoration  of  the 
Magi.  A fine  example  of  the  mode  of  treat- 
ment of  this  excellent  anatomical  painter,  the 
forerunner  of  Michael  Angelo.  It  needs  long 
looking  into. 

289.  Piero  di  Cosimo.  Coronation  of  the 
Virgin,  with  St.  Jerome,  St.  Francis,  St.  Louis 
of  Toulouse,  and  St.  Bonaventura.  Compare 
with  Raffaellino  del  Garbo,  close  by,  for  the 
double  scene,  on  earth  and  in  heaven.  Notice 
the  crown  which  Louis  refused,  in  order  to 
embrace  the  monastic  profession.  This  is  a 
Franciscan  picture  ; you  will  find  it  casts  much 
light  on  assemblages  of  saints  if  you  know  for 
what  order  each  picture  was  painted.  The 
grouping  always  means  something. 

16.  Albertinelli.  Madonna  on  a pedestal, 
with  St.  Jerome  and  St.  Zenobius.  Scenes 
from  their  legends  in  the  background.  A char- 
acteristic example  of  the  Florentine  Renais- 


Long  Gallery.  1 7 1 

sance.  The  grouping  is  in  the  style  then  fast 
becoming  fashionable.  Compare  with  Lorenzo 
di  Credi  in  the  Salle  des  Primitifs. 

144.  Pontormo.  Visitation.  Showing  the 
older  Renaissance  tendencies.  Compare  with 
the  Ghirlandajo,  and  note  persistence  of  the 
arch  in  the  background. 

* 57.  Fra  Bartolom^neo.  Marriage  of  St. 
Catherine  of  Siena.  This  is  a variant  on  the 
legend  of  the  other  St.  Catherine,  — of  Alexan- 
dria. The  infant  Christ  is  placing  a ring  on 
the  holy  nun’s  finger.  Around  are  attendant 
saints,  — Peter,  Vincent,  Stephen,  etc.  The 
composition  is  highly  characteristic  of  the 
painter  and  his  school. 

380.  Andrea  del  Sarto.  Holy  Family.  Ex- 
quisitely soft  in  outline  and  colour. 

372.  Doubtful.  Attributed  to  Raphael. 
Charming  portrait  of  a young  man. 

Beyond  it,  ^ two  most  delicate  little  pictures 
of  St.  George  (a  man)  and  St.  Michael  (an 
angel,  winged)  of  RaphaeP s very  early  period. 
Note  the  princess  in  the  St.  George ; you  will 
come  upon  her  again.  Simple  and  charming. 
Trace  Raphael’s  progress  in  this  gallery,  by 
means  of  Kugler. 


172 


Paris. 


Beyond  them,  again,  two  portraits  by  Raphael^ 
of  which  373  is  of  doubtful  authenticity. 

* 366.  Raphael,  The  Young  St.  John ; a 
noble  figure. 

367.  Raphael,  St.  Margaret : issuing  tri- 
umphant from  the  dragon  which  has  swallowed 
her.  A figure  full  of  feeling  and  movement, 
and  instinct  with  his  later  science.  It  was 
painted  for  Francois  1%  out  of  compliment  to 
his  sister.  Queen  Margaret  of  Navarre. 

All  these  Raphaels  should  be  carefully  studied. 
The  great  painter  began  with  a certain  Peru- 
ginesque  stiffness,  through  which,  nevertheless, 
his  own  native  grace  makes  itself  felt  at  once ; 
he  progressed  rapidly  in  knowledge  and  skill  at 
Florence  and  Rome,  but  showed  a tendency  in 
his  last  works  towards  the  incipient  faults  of 
the  later  Renaissance.  By  following  him  here, 
in  conjunction  with  Florence  and  Rome,  you 
can  gain  an  idea  of  the  course  of  his  develop- 
ment. 

The  second  compartment  of  the  Long  Gallery, 
which  we  now  enter,  though  containing  several 
works  by  Titian  and  other  masters  of  the  best 
period,  is  mainly  devoted  to  painters  of  the 
later  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  century,  when 


Long  Gallery.  173 

the  decline  in  taste  was  rapid  and  progressive. 
Notice  throughout  the  substitution  of  rhetorical 
gesture  and  affected  composition  for  the  simplic- 
ity of  the  early  masters,  or  the  dignity  and 
truth  of  the  High  Renaissance.  Begin  again 
on  the  left  wall,  containing  finer  pictures  than 
that  opposite. 

441.  Titian.  Another  Holy  Family,  with 
St.  Catherine.  Both  women  here  are  Venetian 
ladies  of  high  rank  and  of  his  own  period. , 
Observe,  however,  the  persistence  of  the  Ma- 
donna's white  head-covering.  Also,  the  play- 
fulness introduced  in  the  treatment  of  St. 
Catherine’s  palm  of  martyrdom,  and  the  child- 
ish St.  John  with  his  lamb.  These  attributes 
would  have  been  treated  by  earlier  painters 
with  reverence  and  solemnity.  Titian  transfers 
them  into  mere  pretty  accessories.  Charac- 
teristic landscape  background.  The  female 
saint  in  this  work  is  usually  described  as  St. 
Agnes,  because  of  the  lamb : I think  erro- 
neously. The  lamb  is  St.  John’s,  and  the  St. 
Catherine  merely  plays  with  it. 

88.  Calcar.  Fine  portrait  of  a young  man. 

38.  Attributed  (very  doubtfully)  to  Giorgione. 
Holy  Family,  with  St.  Sebastian,  St.  Catherine, 


174 


Paris. 


and  the  donor,  kneeling.  A good  example  of 
the  intermediate  treatment  of  saints  in  groups 
of  this  character. 

Above  it  (92)  Paolo  Veronese,  Esther  and 
Ahasuerus.  Treated  in  the  lordly  fashion  of 
a Venetian  pageant.  Try  now  to  understand 
this  Venetian  ideal  in  style  and  colour. 

91.  Paolo  Vero7iese,  Similar  treatment  of 
Susanna  and  the  Elders,  a traditional  religious 
theme,  here  distorted  into  a mere  excuse  for 
the  nude,  in  which  the  Renaissance  delighted. 

**  274.  Palma  Vecchio,  Adoration  of  the 
shepherds.  A noble  example  of  this  great 
Venetian  painter.  Observe  how  he  transforms 
the  traditional  accessories  in  the  background, 
and  employs  them  in  the  thorough  Venetian 
spirit. 

Beyond  it,  several  small  Venetian  pietures. 
Self-explanatory,  but  worthy  of  close  attention ; 
espeeially  94,  a delicate  Paolo  Veronese^  on  a 
most  unusual  scale, — a Venetian  Dominican 
nun  presented  by  her  patroness,  St.  Catherine, 
and  St.  Joseph  to  the  Madonna.  Also,  93,  by 
the  same  artist,  St.  George  and  St.  Catherine 
presenting  a Venetian  gentleman  to  the  Ma- 
donna and  Child.  These  two  saints  were  the 


Long  Gallery.  175 

male  and  female  patrons  of  the  Venetian  ter- 
ritory ; hence  their  frequency  in  Venetian 
pictures. 

99.  The  Disciples  at  Emmaus.  Another 
characteristic  transformation  by  Veronese  of 
a traditional  scene.  The  pretence  of  sacred- 
ness is  very  thin. 

98.  Paolo  Veronese,  Calvary.  Similarly 
treated. 

*335.  Tintoretto.  Susanna  at  the  Bath. 
Admirable  example  of  this  artist’s  bold  and 
effective  method.  In  him  the  Venetian  school 
attains  its  last  possible  point  before  the  deca- 
dence. 

Beneath  it,  two  good  Venetian  portraits. 

336.  Tintoretto.  A characteristic  Paradise 
(sketch  for  the  great  picture  in  the  Doge’s 
Palace  at  Venice),  whose  various  circles  of 
saints  and  angels  should  be  carefully  studied. 
Gloomy  glory. 

Above  it,  17.  A Venetian  gentleman  intro- 
duced to  the  Madonna  by  St.  Francis  and  a 
sainted  bishop,  with  St.  Sebastian  in  the  back- 
ground. Doubtless,  a votive  picture  in  grati- 
tude for  the  noble  donor’s  escape  from  the 
plague. 


176 


Paris. 


Beyond  these,  we  come  chiefly  upon  Vene- 
tian pictures  of  the  Decadence,  among  which 
the  most  noticeable  are  the  Venetian  views  by 
Canaletto  and  Guardi^  showing  familiar  aspects 
of  the  Salute,  the  Doge’s  Palace,  San  Zaccaria, 
and  other  buildings. 

Further  on,  this  compartment  contains 
Spanish  pictures,  — an  artificial  arrangement 
not  without  some  real  justification,  since,  in 
the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries,  Spain, 
enriched  by  her  American  possessions,  be- 
came, for  a short  period,  the  material  and 
artistic  inheritor  of  Italy,  and  accepted  in  full 
the  mature  fruits  of  the  Italian  Renaissance. 
At  the  same  time,  she  imbued  the  developed 
arts  she  received  from  Italy  with  Spanish 
showiness  and  love  of  mere  display,  to  the 
exclusion  of  deeper  spiritual  feeling.  The 
most  famous  among  the  few  Spanish  pictures 
of  the  Louvre  iare : 

552.  **  Velasquez.  Philip  IV.  of  Spain. 

Beneath  it,  Murillo.  One  of  his  favourite 
Boy  Beggars,  killing  fleas.  A curious  subject, 
excellently  rendered. 

548.  Ribera,  Adoration  of  the  Shepherds. 

540.  Murillo.  Birth  of  the  Virgin,  where 


VELASQUEZ.  — PHILIP  IV.  OF  SPAIN 


177 


Long  Gallery. 

the  transformation  of  the  traditional  element  is 
even  more  marked  than  in  the  Italian  Renais- 
sance. The  colouring  splendid.  St.  Anne  is 
always  seen  in  bed ; other  points  you  could 
notice  in  the  enamels  at  Cluny.  With  Murillo, 
they  become  mere  excuses  for  display  of  art- 
faculty. 

Further  on,  Murillo,  The  occupants  of  a 
poor  monastery  in  Spain  miraculously  fed  by 
angels,  known  as  ^^La  Cuisine  des  Anges.’' 

I do  not  recommend  more  than  a cursory  ex- 
amination of  these  fine  Spanish  works,  which 
can  only  be  properly  understood  by  those  who 
have  visited  Madrid  and  Seville.  It  will  suffice 
to  note  their  general  characteristics,  and  the 
way  in  which  they  render  traditional  subjects. 
The  best  point  of  view  for  the  Cuisine  des 
Anges  ’’  is  obtained  from  the  seat  nearly  op- 
posite, beneath  the  archway,  when  the  splendid 
luminous  qualities  of  this  theatrical  picture  can 
be  better  appreciated.  From  this  point,  also, 
many  of  the  other  Spanish  pictures  are  well 
seen  with  an  opera-glass.  They  are  not  in- 
tended for  close  examination. 

The  columns  which  separate  these  compart- 
ments have  an  interesting  history.  They  first 


178 


Paris. 


belonged  to  a classieal  temple  in  North  Africa. 
They  were  brought  thence  by  Louis  XIV.  to 
support  a baldacchino  at  St.  Germain-des-Pr6s. 
Finally,  the  Revolution  transferred  them  to  the 
Louvre. 

Return  again,  now,  to  the  last  archway,  and 
begin  once  more  on  the  right  side^  which  con- 
tains for  the  most  part  tawdry  works  of  the 
Baroque  period,  which  should,  however,  be 
studied  to  some  extent  in  illustration  of  the 
decadence  of  art  in  the  later  sixteenth  century, 
and  also  as  examples  of  further  transformation 
of  the  traditional  motives. 

53.  Barocci,  Madonna  in  Glory  with  St. 
Antony  and  St.  Lucy.  A good  example  of  the 
insipid  style  which  took  its  name  from  this 
master. 

Below  it,  309.  Bagnacavallo.  Circumcision, 
with  twisted  pillars,  showing  the  decline  in 
architectural  taste.  The  crowded  composition 
may  be  instructively  compared  with  earlier  and 
simpler  examples  of  this  subject ; also,  with  Fra 
Bartolommeo,  whose  fine  but  complex  arrange- 
ments rapidly  resulted  in  such  confused  grouping. 

52.  Barocci.  Same  scene.  The  tradition 
now  entirely  ignored,  and  an  unpleasantly  real- 


Long  Gallery.  179 

istic,  yet  theatrical  and  mannered  treatment, 
introduced. 

304.  After  Primaticcio,  Mythological  con- 
cert, exhibiting  the  taste  of  the  school  of  Fon- 
tainebleau (the  Italian  artists  of  Raphael's  group, 
scholars  of  Giulio  Romano,  introduced  into 
France  by  Francois  F*'). 

349.  Rosselli,  Triumphant  David,  with  the 
head  of  Goliath.  Marking  the  advance  of  the 
histrionic  tendency. 

A very  cursory  examination  of  the  rest  of  the 
works  on  this  wall  will  probably  be  sufficient. 
Look  them  over  in  an  hour.  The  most  cele- 
brated are  two  by  Salvator  Rosa : 318,  Guido 
Reni's  Ecce  Homo,  full  of  tawdry  false  senti- 
ment ; and  Domenichino' s St.  Cecilia  (often 
copied),  with  the  angel  reduced  to  the  futile 
decorative  winged  boy  of  the  period.  324, 
Guido's  St.  Sebastian,  may  be  well  compared 
with  Perugind s,  as  marking  the  decline  which 
art  had  suffered.  It  is  on  works  like  these 
that  the  Spanish  school  largely  based  itself. 

This  completes  the  Italian  collection  of  the 
Louvre,  to  which  the  visitor  should  return 
again  and  again,  until  he  feels  he  has  entered 
somewhat  into  the  spirit  and  tone  of  its  various 


i8o 


Paris. 


ages.  Between  the  next  two  archways,  we 
come  to  a small  collection  of  works  of  the  early 
French  school,  too  few  of  which  unfortunately 
remain  to  us. 

Left  wall.  Two  portraits  of  Francois  P"' 
may  be  well  compared  with  the  Titian  of  the 
same  king,  as  indicating  the  gulf  which  still 
separated  France  from  the  art-world  of  Italy. 
The  hard,  dry,  wooden  manner  of  these  French 
works  is  strongly  contrasted  with  the  finished 
art  of  the  Italian  Renaissance.  Recollect  that 
these  seemingly  archaic  portraits  are  painted  by 
contemporaries  of  Raphael  and  Titian. 

Between  them,  good  miniatures,  by  Nicolas 
Froment^  of  King  Rene  and  his  queen. 

Above,  650.  Admirable  Dead  Christ,  with 
the  Madonna,  Magdalen,  Joseph  of  Arimathea, 
etc.  In  the  best  style  of  the  French  school  of 
the  fifteenth  century.  Observe  the  action  of 
the  various  personages  : all  are  conventional. 

Beyond  it,  several  good  small  pictures  of  the 
early  French  Renaissance  which  should  be  care- 
fully examined.  Fouquef s portrait  of  Charles 
VII.  is  a capital  example  of  the  older  method. 

Above  them,  875,  characteristic  fifteenth  cen- 
tury Crucifixion,  with  Last  Communion  and 


Long  Gallery.  1 8 1 

Martyrdom  of  St.  Denis.  The  executioner’s 
face  is  French  all  over.  (Scenes  from  the  Pas- 
sion have  often  in  F'rench  art  such  side-scenes 
from  lives  of  saints.  Several  at  Cluny.)  This 
picture  has  been  employed  as  a basis  for  the 
restoration  of  the  reliefs  in  the  portals  at  St. 
Denis. 

Beyond  again,  portraits  of  the  early  Renais- 
sance exhibiting  considerable  advance  in  many 
cases. 

On  the  right  wall  are  some  works  more  dis- 
tinctly characteristic  of  the  school  of  art  which 
grew  up  round  Primaticcio  and  his  scholars  at 
Fontainebleau.  Among  them  are  a Diana  hunt- 
ing (D.  de  Poitiers  again),  and  a Continence  of 
Scipio.  They  reflect  the  style  of  Giulio  Ro- 
mano, Beneath  the  first,  two  good  portraits, 
with  patron  saints  (John  and  Peter).  All  the 
works  in  this  compartment  should  be  examined 
carefully,  as  showing  the  raw  material  upon 
which  subsequent  French  art  was  developed. 

Beyond  the  next  arehway,  we  come  to  the 
pietures  of  the  Flemish  sehool,  which  deserve 
almost  equal  attention  with  the  Italian,  as  indi- 
vidual works,  but  whieh,  as  of  less  interest  in 
the  general  history  of  art,  I shall  treat  more 


Paris. 


182 

briefly.  Begin  here  on  the  right  side,  for  chron- 
ological order. 

Among  the  most  noticeable  pictures  are 
Adam  and  Eve,  unnumbered,  good  specimens 
of  the  frank,  unidealised  Northern  nude. 

595.  An  exquisite  early  Anunciation,  the 
spirit  of  which  should  be  compared  with  the 
early  Italians.  Notice  the  general  similarity  of 
accessories,  combined  with  the  divergence  in 
spirit,  the  dwelling  on  detail,  the  Flemish  love 
for  effects  of  light  and  shade  on  brass-work, 
fabrics,  glasses,  etc.  Notice  that  this  charming 
picture  gives  us  the  early  stage  in  the  evolution 
of  that  type  of  art  which  culminates  in  the 
Gerard  Dou  in  the  Salon  Carre. 

Beside  it,  an  exquisitely  tender  Dead  Christ. 
Remarkable  for  the  finish  in  the  background. 

The  Quentin  Matsys  is  not  a worthy  repre- 
sentative of  the  master. 

Beside  it,  a quaint  and  striking  group  of 
votaries,  listening  to  a sermon.  Probably  a 
mere  excuse  for  portrait -painting.  The  charac- 
ter in  the  faces  is  essentially  Flemish. 

Fine  portrait  of  a young  man  with  a pink,  in 
a red  cap. 

Triptych,  with  the  Madonna  and  Child  (who 


Long  Gallery.  1 83 

may  be  well  compared  with  those  of  the  Mem- 
ling  in  the  Salle  Duchatel).  On  the  flaps,  the 
donor  and  his  wife,  introduced  by  their  patrons, 
St.  John  and  St.  Christopher. 

Now  cross  over  to  the  left  side. 

* 699.  Rogier  Van  der  Weyden.  Excellent 
Deposition,  with  a touching  St.  John,  and  a 
very  emaciated  Dead  Christ.  These  scenes  of 
death  are  extremely  common  in  Flemish  and 
German  art,  and  resulted  in  a great  effort  to 
express  poignant  emotion,  as  contrasted  with 
the  calmer  ecstatic  character  of  Italian  art. 

^*279.  Qiientin  Matsys.  Banker  and  his 
wife.  An  admirable  and  celebrated  picture, 
with  marvellous  detail,  of  which  there  are 
variants  elsewhere.  Notice  the  crystal  vase, 
mirror,  leaves  of  book,  and  objects  on  shelves 
in  background.  The  fur  is  exquisitely  painted. 

* 288  and  289.  Two  beautiful  little  Mem^ 
lings. 

588.  Most  characteristic  and  finished  Holy 
Family. 

699.  Memling.  St.  Sebastian,  Resurrection, 
Ascension.  Compare  the  first  with  Italian  ex- 
amples. Notice  the  extraordinarily  minute  work 
m the  armour  and  accessories,  contrasted  with 


184 


Paris. 


the  blank  and  meaningless  face  of  the  Risen 
Saviour.  Flemish  art,  perfect  in  execution, 
seldom  attains  high  ideals. 

277  and  278.  Mabuse.  Virgin  and  donor. 
Excellent. 

596.  Gerard  David.  Marriage  at  Cana. 
A splendid  specimen  of  this  great  and  insuf- 
ficiently recognised  painter.  Background  of 
buildings  at  Bruges.  Every  face  and  every 
portion  of  the  decorative  work,  including  the 
jars  in  the  foreground,  should  be  closely  no- 
ticed. The  kneeling  donor  is  an  admirable 
portrait.  As  a whole,  what  a contrast  to  the 
Paolo  Veronese ! The  pretty,  innocent  face  of 
the  bride,  with  her  air  of  mute  wonder,  is  ex- 
cellently rendered.  I believe  the  donor  in  this 
work  is  a younger  portrait  of  the  canon  who 
appears  in  the  glorious  Gerard  David  in  the 
National  Gallery. 

Skied  above  all  these  pictures  on  either  side 
are  several  works  by  Van  Veen^  Jan  Matsj/s, 
Snyders,  and  others,  mostly  worthy  of  notice. 
Among  them,  136,  Van  Dyck,  good  Madonna 
with  the  Magdalen  and  other  saints. 

We  now  come  to  the  great  series  by 
Rubens  narrating  the  history  of  Marie  de 


RUBENS. — BIRTH  OF  MARIE  DE  MEDICIS. 


\ 


185 


Long  Gallery. 

M^dicis,  in  the  inflated  allegorical  style  of  the 
period.  To  understand  them,  the  spectator 
should  first  read  an  account  of  her  life  in  any 
good  French  history.  These  great  decorative 
canvases  were  painted  hurriedly,  with  ^ even 
more  than  Rubens's  usual  dash  and  free  dom, 
to  Marie's  order,  after  her  return  from  exile, 
for  the  decoration  of  her  rooms  at  the  Luxem- 
bourg, which  she  had  just  erected.  Though 
designed  by  Rubens,  they  were  largely  ex- 
ecuted by  the  hands  of  pupils ; and  while  pos- 
sessing all  the  master's  exuberant  artistic 
qualities  in  composition,  they  are  not  favour- 
able specimens  of  his  art,  as  regards  execution 
and  technique.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  most 
Englishmen  and  Frenchmen  form  their  impres- 
sions of  the  painter  from  these  vigorous  but 
rapid  pictures,  rather  than  from  his  far  nobler 
works  at  Antwerp,  Munich,  and  Vienna.  I 
give  briefly  the  meaning  of  the  series. 

1.  The  Three  Fates  spin  Marie's  destiny. 
A small  panel  for  the  side  of  a door. 

2.  Birth  of  Marie  at  Florence.  Lucina, 
goddess  of  birth,  with  her  torch,  attends  the 
mother.  Genii  scatter  flowers  ; others  hold 
her  future  crown.  In  the  foreground,  the 


i86 


Paris. 


River  God  of  the  Arno,  with  his  stream  issu- 
ing from  an  urn,  and  accompanied  by  the 
Florentine  lion,  as  well  as  by  boys  holding 
the  Florentine  lily.  This  curious  mixture  of 
allegorical  personages  and  realities  is  continued 
throughout  the  series. 

3.  Her  education,  presided  over  by  Minerva, 
with  the  aid  of  Mercury  (to  indicate  her  rapidity 
in  learning),  and  Apollo,  as  teacher  of  the  arts. 
Close  by  are  the  Graces,  admirable  nude  figures. 
Among  the  accessories,  bust  of  Socrates,  paint- 
ing materials,  etc. 

4.  The  Genius  of  France  in  attendance 
upon  Henri  IV.,  while  Love  shows  him  Marie’s 
portrait.  The  attitude  of  the  king  expresses 
delight  and  astonishment.  In  the  clouds,  Jupiter 
and  Juno  smile  compliance.  Below,  little  Loves 
steal  the  king’s  shield  and  helmet. 

5.  Marriage  of  Marie  by  proxy.  The  Grand 
Duke  Ferdinand  represents  the  king.  Hymen 
holds  the  torch. 

6.  Marie  lands  at  Marseilles,  and  is  received 
by  France,  while  Tritons  and  Nereids  give  easy 
passage  to  her  vessel.  Above,  her  Fame.  On 
the  vessel,  the  balls  or  palli  of  the  Medici 
family. 


Long  Gallery.  187 

7.  Consummation  of  the  marriage  at  Lyons. 
The  town  itself  is  seen  in  the  background.  In 
the  foreground,  the  (personified)  city,  crowned 
with  a mural  coronet,  and  designated  by  her 
lions.  Above,  the  king,  as  Jupiter,  with  his 
eagle,  and  the  queen,  as  Juno,  with  her  pea- 
cocks. 

8.  Birth  of  her  son,  afterwards  Louis  XIII., 
at  Fontainebleau.  Health  receives  the  infant. 
Fortune  attends  the  queen. 

9.  The  king,  setting  out  to  his  war  against 
Germany,  makes  Marie  regent,  — allegorically 
represented  by  passing  her  the  ball  of  empire,  — 
and  confides  to  her  their  son. 

Larger  pictures  : No.  10,  the  coronation  of 
the  queen,  and  No.  ii,  the  apotheosis  of  Henri, 
the  painful  scene  of  his  death  being  avoided. 
He  is  represented  as  raised  to  the  sky  by  Jupiter 
on  one  side,  and  Death  with  his  sickle  on  the 
other.  Beneath,  the  assassin,  as  a serpent, 
wounded  with  an  arrow.  Victory  and  Bellona 
mourning.  Beyond,  the  allegorical  figure  of 
France  presenting  the  regency  to  Marie,  with 
the  acclamation  of  the  nobility  and  people. 

12.  The  queen’s  government  approved  of 
by  Jupiter,  Juno,  and  the  heavenly  powers.  In 


i88 


Paris. 


the  foreground  Apollo,  Mars,  and  Minerva  (the 
first  copied  from  the  antique  statue  known  as 
the  Belvedere),  representing  courage,  art,  and 
literature,  dispel  calumny  and  the  powers  of 
darkness. 

Continue  on  the  opposite  side,  crossing  over 
directly. 

13.  Civil  discord  arises.  Marie  starts  for 
Anjou,  attended  by  Victory.  Military  prepara- 
tions in  the  background. 

14.  The  exchange  of  princesses  between 
allegorical  figures  of  F'rance  and  Austria  — 
each  intended  to  marry  the  heir  of  the  other 
empire. 

15.  The  happiness  of  the  regency.  The 
queen  bears  the  scales  of  justice.  Plenty  pre- 
vails. Literature,  science,  art,  and  beauty 
predominate  over  evil,  slander,  and  baseness. 

16.  Louis  XIII.  attains  his  majority  (at  four- 
teen) and  mans  the  ship  of  state  in  person,  still 
attended  by  the  counsels  of  his  mother.  The 
Virtues  row  it. 

17.  Calumny  overcomes  the  queen.  By  the 
advice  of  her  counsellors,  she  takes  refuge  at 
Blois,  escorted  by  Wisdom. 

18.  Mercury,  as  messenger,  brings  an  olive 


189 


Long  Gallery. 

branch  to  Marie,  as  a token  of  reconciliation 
from  her  son,  through  the  intermediation  of 
Richelieu  and  the  Church  partyo 

19.  Marie  enters  the  Temple  of  Peace, 
escorted  by  Mercury  and  Truth  with  her  torch, 
while  blind  Rage  and  the  evil  powers  stand 
baffled  behind  her. 

20.  Apotheosis  of  Marie  and  Louis  : their 
reconciliation  and  happiness.  Final  overthrow 
of  the  demons  of  discord. 

21.  Time  brings  Truth  to  light.  Louis 
recognises  the  good  influence  of  his  mother. 

The  history,  as  given  in  these  pictures,  is  of 
course  envisaged  from  the  point  of  view  of  a 
courtier,  who  desires  to  flatter  and  please  his 
patroness. 

Beneath  this  great  series  of  Rubens  are  a 
number  of  Dutch  and  Flemish  pictures,  mostly 
admirable  and  well  worthy  of  attention,  but,  so 
to  speak,  self-explanatory.  They  belong  entirely 
to  modern  feeling.  Dutch  and  Flemish  art,  in 
its  later  form,  is  the  domestic  development  of 
that  intense  love  of  minute  detail  and  acces- 
sories already  conspicuous  in  Van  Eyck^  Mem- 
lingy  and  Gerard  David.  Sacred  subjects  almost 
disappear  ; the  wealthy  burghers  ask  for  por- 


190 


Paris. 


traits  of  themselves,  their  wives  and  families,  or 
landscapes  for  their  households.  I would  call 
special  notice  to  the  following  among  many 
which  should  be  closely  examined  to  show  the 
progress  of  art: — 512,  Teniers;  691,  Rtibens ; 
518,  238  and  239,  Van  Huysum  ; ^ 42^, 

a charming  Rube^is^  in  his  smaller  and  more 
delicate  style  ; 147,  admirable  portrait  by  Van 
Dyck ; 513,  an  excellent  Teniers  ; ^461,  a good 
portrait  by  Rtibeits ; 125,  exquisite,  luminous 
Gerard  Dou ; next  it  Va7t  der  Helsfs  Four 
Judges  of  the  Guild  of  Crossbowmen  deciding 
on  the  prizes,  one  of  the  most  perfect  speci- 
mens of  this  great  portrait  painter.  Notice 
the  wonderful  lifelike  expressions.  Then  123, 
another  exquisite  luminous  Don ; 542,  Van 
de  Velde ; 41,  splendid  portrait  by  Bol ; 130, 
Gerard  Don  by  himself ; 404,  Rembrandt^ 

Raphael  leaving  the  house  of  Tobias,  a master- 
piece of  the  artist’s  weird  and  murky  lumi- 
nosity, — strangely  contrasted  with  Italian 
examples;  205,  a good  Hobbema;  133,  fine 
portrait  by  Dnchdtel ; 369,  excellent  family 
group  by  Van  Ostade ; next  it,  126,  a deli- 
cious little  Dou.  But,  indeed,  every  one  of 
these  Dutch  paintings  should  be  examined 


VAN  DYCK.  — CHILDREN  OF  CHARLES 


Long  Gallery.  191 

separately,  in  order  to  understand  the  charac- 
teristic Dutch  virtues  of  delicate  handling, 
exquisite  detail,  and  domestic  portraiture. 
They  are  the  artistic  outcome  of  a nation  of 
housewives. 

On  the  opposite  side  the  series  is  continued 
with  admirable  flower-pieces,  landscapes  by  Van 
der  Veldt  and  Karel  du  Jardiuy  and  several 
noteworthy  portraits,  among  which  notice  the 
famous  ^Van  Dyek  (143)  of  the  children  of 
Charles  L,  most  daintily  treated.  Beyond  the 
Rubenses,  again,  on  this  side,  144,  two  noble 
portraits  by  Van  Dyeky  and  several  excellent 
examples  of  Philippe  de  Champaigne,  a Flem- 
ish artist  who  deeply  influenced  painting  in 
France,  where  he  settled.  151,  Van  Dyck's 
Duke  of  Richmond,  perhaps  his  most  splendid 
achievement  in  portraiture,  deserves  careful 
study.  I do  not  further  enlarge  upon  these 
subjects  because  the  names  and  dates  of  the 
painters,  with  the  descriptions  given  on  the 
frames,  will  sufficiently  enable  the  judicious 
spectator  to  form  his  own  conceptions.  Devote 
at  least  a day  to  Dutch  and  Flemish  art  here, 
and  then  go  back  to  the  Salon  Carr6,  to  see 
how  the  Rembrandts,  Dous,  and  Metsus,  there 


192 


Paris. 


unfortunately  separated  from  their  compeers,  fall 
into  the  general  scheme  of  Dutch  development. 

Good  view  out  of  either  window  as  you  pass 
the  next  archway.  Look  out  for  these  views 
in  all  parts  of  the  Louvre.  They  often  give 
you  glimpses  of  the  minor  courtyards,  to  which 
the  general  public  are  not  admitted. 

The  next  two  compartments  contain  further 
Dutch  and  Flemish  pictures  of  high  merit,  — 
portraits,  still-life,  landscape,  and  other  sub- 
jects. The  scenes  of  village  life  are  highly 
characteristic.  Notice  in  this  connection  the 
growing  taste  for  landscape,  at  first  with  a pre- 
tence of  figures  and  animals,  but  gradually  as- 
serting its  right  to  be  heard  on  its  own  account. 
In  Italy,  under  somewhat  similar  commercial 
conditions,  we  saw  this  taste  arise  in  the  Vene- 
tian school,  with  Cima,  Giorgione,  and  Titian  ; 
in  Holland,  after  the  Reformation  put  sacred 
art  at  a discount,  it  became  almost  supreme. 
And  note  at  the  same  time  how  the  Reforma- 
tion in  commercial  countries  has  wholly  altered 
the  type  of  Northern  art,  focussing  it  on  trivial 
domestic  incidents. 

Among  the  many  beautiful  pictures  in  these 
compartments  the  spectator  should  at  least  not 


193 


Long  Gallery. 

miss,  on  the  left,  the  very  charming  Portrait 
by  Rubens  (not  quite  finished)  of  his  second 
wife  and  two  children,  scarcely  inferior  to  the 
lovely  specimen  at  Munich.  Near  it,  an  admi- 
rable Crucifixion  with  the  Madonna,  St.  John, 
and  Magdalen,  more  reminiscent  than  is  usual 
with  Rubens  of  earlier  compositions.  On  the 
right  side  notice  a portrait  of  Elizabeth  of 
France  (459),  by  Rubens^  in  his  other,  stiffer, 
and  more  courtly  manner.  We  may  well  put 
down  this  peculiarity  to  the  wishes  of  the  sitter. 
His  * Kermesse,  near  it,  is  an  essay  in  the  style 
afterwards  popularised  by  Teniers,  in  which  the 
great  artist  permits  his  Flemish  blood  to  over- 
come him,  and  produces  a clever  but  most 
unpleasant  picture.  The  numerous  admirable 
fruit  and  flower  pieces,  works  in  still  life,  etc., 
which  these  compartments  contain,  must  be 
studied  for  himself  by  the  attentive  visitor.  In 
Rubens’s  great  canvas  of  the  Triumph  of  Relig- 
ion, painted  for  a Spanish  commission,  observe 
his  curious  external  imitation  of  Spanish  ten- 
dencies. 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE  GERMAN,  ENGLISH,  AND  FRENCH  SCHOOLS. 

After  having  completed  his  examination 
of  the  Long  Gallery,  the  visitor  may  next 
proceed  to  the  five  small  rooms,  — ix.,  x.,  xi., 
XII.,  and  XIII.  on  Baedeker’s  map,  — devoted  to 
the  German,  English  and  early  French  schools. 

Among  the  early  German  works  in  the  second 
of  these  rooms,  the  visitor  may  particularly  no- 
tice (*22)  Hans  Holbein  s Y>ortmit  of  Southwell, 
full  of  character.  Above  it,  a quaint  Venus  by 
Cranachy  instinct  with  the  Northern  conception 
of  the  crude  nude.  Next,  two  good  portraits 
by  Holbein.  In  the  centre  of  this  wall,  * a 
Descent  from  the  Cross,  of  the  school  of  Co- 
logne, which  should  be  compared  with  similar 
pictures  of  the  Italian  and  Flemish  schools. 
The  somewhat  exaggerated  expression  of  grief 
on  all  the  faces  is  strongly  characteristic  of  Ger- 
man tendencies.  The  figure  of  the  Magdalen, 
194 


German,  English,  and  French  Schools.  195 

to  the  right,  strikes  the  German  keynote ; so 
does  Joseph  of  Arimathea  receiving  the  crown 
of  thorns.  Study  this  well,  for  coincidences 
with  and  differences  from  Italian  treatment. 
Beyond  it,  two  fine  Holbeins^  of  the  astronomer 
Kratzer,  and  *Warham,  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, the  latter  a marvellous  piece  of  painting. 
The  opposite  wall  also  contains  good  portraits 
and  sacred  pieces,  among  which  an  altar-piece, 
by  the  ''Master  of  the  Death  of  the  Virgin,” 
deserves  careful  study.  (Most  early  German 
masters  are  unknown  to  us  by  name,  and  are 
thus  identified  by  their  most  famous  pictures.) 
The  Last  Supper  in  this  work,  below,  is  largely 
borrowed  from  Lionardo.  Compare  with  the 
copy  of  Lionardo’s  fresco  at  Milan  in  the  Long 
Gallery,  probably  by  Marco  da  Oggionno,  which 
hangs  near  the  Vierge  aux  Rochers.  The 
Adoration  of  the  Magi  (597),  should  also  be 
compared  with  the  Italian  examples  ; notice  in 
particular  the  burgher  character  of  the  three 
kings,  which  is  essentially  German.  The  other 
works  in  this  room  can  be  sufficiently  studied 
(for  casual  observers)  by  the  aid  of  the  labels. 

The  English  room  contains  a few  examples 
of  English  masters  of  the  last  and  present  cen- 


Paris. 


196 

tury,  none  of  them  first-rate.  The  most  famous 
is  the  frequently  reproduced  Little  Girl  with 
Cherries,  by  the  pastellist  John  Russel,  It  is 
a pleasing  work,  but  not  good  in  colour. 

The  next  room,  with  an  admirable  view  from 
the  window,  begins  the  modern  French  school 
(in  the  wide  sense),  and  contains  Le  Sueur’s 
History  of  the  Life  of  St.  Bruno,  painted  for  a 
Carthusian  monastery  near  the  Luxembourg,  — 
of  which  order  the  saint  was  the  founder.  They 
are  characteristic  examples  of  the  French  work 
of  the  early  seventeenth  century,  and  they  ex- 
hibit the  beginnings  of  the  national  tendencies 
in  art.  The  legends  are  partially  explained  on 
the  frames,  and  more  fully  in  Mrs.  Jameson’s 
‘^Monastic  Orders.”  On  a cursory  inspection, 
the  observer  will  notice  the  marked  French 
tendency  in  the  9th,  7th,  21st,  and  2 2d  of  the 
series.  Cold  and  lifeless  in  design  and  colour, 
these  feeble  works  have  now  little  more  than  a 
historical  interest. 

Before  proceeding  to  the  succeeding  rooms 
of  the  French  school,  you  had  better  form 
some  conception  of  the  circumstances  and  con- 
ditions under  which  that  school  arose.  The 
artists  whom  Francois  invited  to  Fontaine- 


German,  English,  and  French  Schools.  197 

bleau  had  little  influence  on  French  art,  except 
in  sculpture  (where  we  shall  see  their  spirit 
abundantly  at  work  when  we  come  to  examine 
the  Renaissance  sculpture  in  this  collection). 
Primaticcio  and  his  followers,  however,  left 
behind  them  in  France,  as  regards  painting, 
scarcely  more  than  a sense  of  a need  for  im- 
provement. Succeeding  French  artists  took 
up  the  Italian  Renaissance  in  the  stage  repre- 
sented by  the  later  decadents  and  the  eclectic 
Caracci.  Nicolas  Poussin  (1594-1665)  is  the 
first  Frenchman  to  attain  distinction  in  this 
line ; he  throws  something  of  French  senti- 
mentality into  the  affected  mythological  scenes 
of  contemporary  Italy.  Claude  of  Lorraine, 
again,  is  almost  an  Italian  by  training  and  style ; 
his  artificial  landscapes,  not  copied  direct  from 
nature,  but  built  up  by  arbitrary  and  often  im- 
possible conjunctions,  represent  the  prevailing 
tendencies  of  Italian  art  in  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury. On  the  other  hand,  the  influence  of 
Rubens,  many  of  whose  greatest  works  were 
painted  for  French  kings,  or  came  early  to 
France,  and  still  more  of  Philippe  de  Cham- 
paigne,  a Brussels  master  who  settled  in  Paris 
and  painted  much  for  Richelieu  and  Marie  de 


198 


Paris. 


M^dicis,  introduced  into  France  a strain  of 
Flemish  influence.  On  these  two  schools,  — 
decadent  Italian  and  later  Flemish,  — then, 
modern  French  art  at  first  based  itself ; the 
final  outcome  is  a resultant  of  the  two,  trans- 
muted and  moulded  in  spirit  and  form  by  the 
innate,  though  at  first  unrealised,  French  ten- 
dencies. 

Also,  before  you  proceed  to  examine  the 
subsequent  specimens  of  the  development  of 
French  art,  you  had  better  return  to  the  Salon 
Carre  to  inspect  the  portraits  by  Philippe  de 
Champaigne,  as  well  as  the  Jouvenet,  the  Rigaud, 
and  other  French  works  there,  which  I pur- 
posely passed  by  on  our  previous  visit,  as  out 
of  harmony  with  the  Italian  masterpieces.  On 
your  way  back,  glance  at  the  later  Italian  pic- 
tures in  the  first  compartment  of  the  Long 
Gallery  (particularly  at  Bronzino's  odiously 
vulgar  Christ  and  Mary  Magdalen,  and  Rossi's 
Doubting  Thomas,  both  skied,  on  your  right), 
as  conspicuous  examples  of  the  sort  of  thing 
admired  at  the  time  when  the  French  school 
took  its  first  flights  and  made  its  earliest  expe- 
riences. Then  observe  once  more  the  works  of 
the  school  of  Fontainebleau ; and,  finally,  in- 


German,  English,  and  French  Schools.  199 

spect  the  pictures  in  Baedeker’s  Room  IX.  ; 
after  which  you  will  be  in  a position  to  start 
fair  in  Room  XIII.,  with  the  French  school  in 
the  seventeenth  century. 

This  small  room  beyond  the  St.  Brunos  con- 
tains more  favourable  specimens  of  Le  Sueur  s 
faculty  (such  as  559,  556,  and  551),  in  which  a 
distinctive  French  tendency  still  more  markedly 
announces  itself.  The  Ganymede,  in  563,  in 
particular,  faintly  foreshadows  at  a distance  the 
classic  painters  of  the  Empire.  We  see  in  this 
room,  in  a very  vague  way,  an  early  stage  in 
the  evolution  of  a David. 

Passing  through  the  landing,  at  the  head  of 
the  staircase  (with  interesting  terra-cotta  Etrus- 
can sarcophagi)  we  arrive  at  the  great  gallery  of 
French  paintings  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
These  may  be  examined  somewhat  in  the  mass, 
exhibiting,  as  they  do,  rather  the  courtly  tend- 
encies of  the  age  of  Louis  XIV.  than  any  great 
individual  artistic  faculty.  We  must  understand 
them  in  the  spirit  which  built  Versailles  and 
conducted  the  wars  on  the  northeastern  frontier. 
They  are  painted  for  the  most  part  by  the  com- 
mand of  his  Majesty.  Qnly  here  and  there 
does  a faintly  individual  work,  like  Le  Sueur  s 


200 


Paris. 


Christ  and  the  Magdalen,  and  Bearing  of  the 
Cross,  or  Lebrun! s Crucifixion,  arrest  for  a mo- 
ment one's  passing  attention.  The  crudeness 
of  the  colour,  and  the  insufficiency  of  the  com- 
position, will  be  the  chief  points,  in  a general 
survey,  to  strike  the  spectator.  (On  a screen 
in  the  centre,  out  of  proper  place  among  its 
contemporaries,  hangs  at  present  Paul  Dela- 
roche' s famous  Christian  Martyr.) 

The  student  who  has  courage  to  attack  this 
mass  of  uninteresting  art  in  detail,  should  ob- 
serve particularly  the  works  of  N.  Poussiny  as 
forming  the  point  of  departure  for  the  school 
in  general.  His  bacchanal  and  other  mythologi- 
cal works  set  the  fashion  of  those  dreary  alle- 
gorical scenes  which  cover  so  many  yards  of 
ceilings  in  the  Louvre.  Observe  the  mixture 
of  religious  themes,  like  Lebrun's  Martyrdom 
of  Stephen,  and  N.  Poussin's  Holy  Family,  with 
classical  pictures  like  the  Rescue  of  Pyrrhus, 
and  the  Alexander  and  Porus,  as  well  as  the 
close  similarity  of  treatment  in  both  cases. 
Among  the  best  of  the  lot  are  Jouvenet's  Raising 
of  Lazarus,  and  Le  Sueur  s Paul  Preaching  at 
Ephesus  (partly  after  Raphael).  ^Poussin's  Et 
in  Arcadia  ego,"  a rustic  morality,  is  also  famous. 


German,  English,  and  French  Schools.  201 

and  is  regarded  as  the  greatest  achievement  of 
this  artificial  school.  Claude  s landscapes,  often 
with  a small  inserted  mythological  story  by  an- 
other painter,  deserve  attention.  (Note  that 
landscape  has  hardly  yet  vindicated  its  claim  to 
independent  existence.)  On  the  whole,  it  may 
be  said  that  this  room  represents  the  two  pre- 
vailing influences  in  French  art  of  the  purely 
monarchical  period  of  Louis  XIV.,  — either  the 
pictures  are  quasi-royal  and  official,  or  else  they 
are  religious,  for  church  or  monastery.  The 
mythological  scenes,  indeed,  have  often  a royal 
reference,  — are  supposed  parallels  of  contem- 
porary events ; and  even  the  religious  scenes, 
wholly  destitute  of  spiritual  feeling,  are  painted 
in  a courtly,  grandiose  manner.  They  are 
saints  as  conceived  by  flunkeys.  Not  till  the 
Revolution  swept  away  the  royal  patron  did 
the  French  spirit  truly  realise  itself.  This  room 
reveals  the  court,  not  the  nation. 

The  next  room,  in  the  Pavilion  Denon,  a con- 
necting passage,  contains  portraits  of  painters, 
chiefly  by  themselves,  a few  of  which  are  worthy 
of  attention.  Among  them  is  the  famous 
and  touching  portrait  by  Mme.  Lebrun  of 
herself  and  her  daughter,  which,  in  spite  of 


202 


Paris. 


some  theatrical  sentiment  here  and  there  ob- 
truded, is  a charming  realisation  of  maternal 
feeling  amply  reciprocated. 

Beyond  it  we  come  to  the  French  gallery  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  reflecting  for  the  most  part 
the  spirit  of  the  Regency  and  the  Louis  XV. 
period.  Much  of  it  is  meretricious  ; much  of  it 
breathes  the  atmosphere  of  the  boudoir.  The 
flavour  of  Du  Barry  pervades  it  almost  all.  It 
scents  of  musk  and  powder.  The  reader  will 
pick  out  for  himself  such  works  as  he  admires 
in  this  curious  yet  not  wholly  unpleasing  mass 
of  affectation  and  mediocrity.  Indeed,  as  op- 
posed to  the  purely  official  work  in  the  preced- 
ing French  room,  the  growth  of  the  rococo  spirit, 
to  be  traced  in  this  gallery,  is  by  no  means 
without  interest.  The  one  set  of  works  set 
forth  the  ideal  of  monarchy  as  a formal  insti- 
tution ; the  other  displays  its  actual  outcome 
in  royal  mistresses  and  frivolous  amusements. 
Here,  too,  the  ornate  French  taste  — the  Dres- 
den china  and  Sevres  taste  — finds  its  first  faint 
embodiment.  Grettze's  famous  * Cruche  Cassee 
(263)  is  the  chief  favourite  with  visitors  to  this 
room.  It  has  about  it  a certain  false  simplicity, 
a pretended  virginal  innocence,  which  is  perhaps 


GREUZE.  — CRUCHE  CASSEE. 


German,  English,  and  French  Schools.  203 

the  highest  point  of  art  this  school  could  attain. 
Droiiais  s child  portraits  (187)  are  more  entirely 
characteristic,  in  their  red-and-white  chubbiness, 
of  the  ideas  of  the  epoch.  The  pastoral  scenes 
by  Watteau  and  Vanloo  represent  nature  and 
country  life,  as  they  envisaged  themselves  to 
the  painted  and  powdered  great  ladies  of  the 
Trianon.  CoypeV s Esther  before  Ahasuerus  is 
a not  unfavourable  specimen  of  the  inflated 
quasi-sacred  style  of  the  period.  Some  good 
portraits  redeem  the  general  high  level  of  medi- 
ocrity in  this  room,  but  do  not  equal  those  of  the 
daintily  aristocratic  English  school  of  the  end  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  Two  Greuzes  (267  and, 
still  more,  266)  reveal  the  essentially  artificial 
methods  of  this  superficially  taking  painter.% 
Most  observers  begin  by  admiring  him  and  end 
by  disliking  his  ceaseless  posing.  Boucher's 
artificial  pink-and-white  nudities  (as  in  24  and 
26)  have  the  air  of  a man  who  painted,  as  he  did, 
in  a room  hung  round  with  rose-coloured  satin. 
He  is  perhaps  the  most  typical  of  these  rococo 
artists  : he  imitates  on  canvas  the  coquettish 
ideals  of  the  contemporary  china-painters.  Fra- 
gonard,  again,  throws  into  this  school  the  love 
of  display  and  bravado  of  a Southern  tempera- 


204 


Paris. 


merit.  At  the  far  end  of  the  room  we  find  in 
Greuze  s later  moralising  pictures  faint  indica- 
tions of  the  altered  and  somewhat  more  earnest 
feeling  which  produced  the  revolutionary  epoch, 
still  closely  mixed  up  with  the  ineradicable  affec- 
tation and  unreality  of  the  painter  and  his  period. 
Two  little  stories  of  a prodigal  son  and  his  too 
late  return,  on  either  side  of  the  doorway,  with 
their  violent  theatrical  passion  and  their  exces- 
sive expression  of  impossible  emotion,  illustrate 
well  this  nascent  tendency.  They  are  attempts 
to  feel  where  feeling  was  not  really  present. 
David’s  Paris  and  Helen  introduces  us,  on  the 
other  hand,  to  the  beginnings  of  the  cold  classi- 
cism which  prevailed  under  the  Empire. 

In  order  to  continue  the  chronological  exam- 
ination of  the  French  school,  the  visitor  must 
now  return  to  the  Salon  Carre  and  traverse  the 
vulgarly  ornate  Galerie  d’Apollon  by  its  side, 
which  contains  objects  of  more  or  less  artistic 
interest  in  the  precious  metals  and  precious 
stones,  many  of  which,  especially  those  in  the 
two  last  cases,  deserve  careful  inspection.  A 
morning  should,  if  possible,  be  devoted  later  to 
this  collection. 

A short  connecting  room  beyond  (with  gold 


German,  English,  and  French  Schools.  205 

Etruscan  jewelry)  gives  access  next  to  the  Salle 
des  Sept  Cheminees,  which  contains  many  stiff 
but  excellent  works  of  the  period  of  the  Em- 
pire. The  most  noticeable  of  these  are  by 
David,  whose  formal  classicism  (a  result  of  the 
revolutionary  revolt  from  Christianity,  with  its 
reliance  upon  Greek,  and  still  more  Roman, 
morality  and  history)  is  excellently  exemplified 
in  his  large  picture  of  the  ^ Sabine  Women  In- 
tervening between  their  Husbands  and  their 
Fathers.  This  is  considered  his  masterpiece. 
Its  frigid  style,  not  very  distantly  resembling 
that  of  a bas-relief,  and  its  declamatory  feeling 
do  not  blind  us  to  the  excellence  of  its  general 
technique  and  its  real  advance  on  the  art  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  David  imitated  the  antique, 
but  was  always  sculpturesque  rather  than  pic- 
torial in  treatment.  Among  other  fine  examples 
of  this  classic  period,  — the  transitional  stage 
between  the  eighteenth  century  and  the  dis- 
tinctively modern  spirit, — attention  may  be 
called  to  Gerards  Cupid  and  Psyche,  and  to  his 
fine  portrait  of  the  Marquis  Visconti.  ^ Mme, 
Lebrun  s charmingly  animated  portrait  of  Mme. 
Mole-Raymond,  the  comedian,  is  full  of  real 
vigour.  Two  good  portraits  by  Davids  of  him- 


2o6 


Paris. 


self  and  Pius  VII.,  deserve  close  inspection. 
Gross  Bonaparte  at  Areola,  is  also  interesting. 
Mme.  Lebrun' s earlier  portrait  of  herself  and 
her  daughter  is  less  beautiful  than  the  one  we 
have  already  examined.  Several  military  por- 
traits, such  as  Gros' s Fournier-Sarloveze,  re- 
flect the  predominant  militarism  of  the  epoch. 
David’s  huge  canvas  of  the  Coronation  of 
Napoleon  I.  in  Notre-Dame  is  typical  of  another 
side  of  the  great  artist’s  development.  Grad- 
ually the  frigidity  of  the  early  revolutionary 
period  gave  way  to  the  growing  romanticism  of 
1830.  Gericaulf  s Raft  of  the  Medusa  (sight- 
ing a sail  after  twelve  days  out)  strikes  the 
first  keynote  of  the  modern  romantic  movement. 
It  created  a great  sensation  in  its  own  day,  and 
gave  rise  to  endless  discussion  and  animadver- 
sion. It  marks  t]ie  advent  of  the  emotional  in 
modern  art.  Gros's  Bonaparte  Visiting  the 
Plague-stricken  at  Jaffa,  also  indicates  in  an- 
other way  a marked  modernising  tendency.  The 
school  of  blood  and  wounds,  of  the  morbid  and 
the  ghastly,  has  here  its  forerunner.  All  the 
works  in  this  room  (which  modernity  forbids  me 
to  treat  at  adequate  length)  should  be  carefully 
studied  in  detail  and  comparison  by  those  who 


German,  English,  and  French  Schools.  207 

wish  to  understand  the  various  steps  which  led 
to  the  evolution  of  modern  French  painting. 
Guerin's  Return  of  Marcus  Sextus,  and  Giro- 
defs  Burial  of  Atala,  in  particular,  mark  special 
phases  of  transition  from  the  coldly  classical  to 
the  romantic  tendency.  This  room,  in  one 
word,  begins  with  the  severe;  it  ends  with  the 
melodramatic. 

The  room  beyond,  known  as  the  Salle  Henri 
II.,  is  so  nearly  modern  in  tone,  that  the 
reader  may  be  safely  trusted  to  inspect  it  on 
his  own  knowledge.  Giraud's  Slave-dealer  and 
Chasshiau  s Tepidarium  are  its  most  popular 
pictures.  It  lies  outside  the  scope  of  the  pres- 
ent handbook. 

The  Salle  La  Caze,  however,  still  beyond, 
contains  a collection,  kept  separately  apart  by 
the  express  desire  of  the  donor,  and  includes 
many  works  both  of  earlier  schools  and  of  the 
French  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries, 
worthy  of  the  greatest  attention.  It  is  espe- 
cially rich  in  works  of  the  rococo  painters,  bet- 
ter exemplified  here  than  in  the  main  collection. 
Beginning  on  the  left,  I will  merely  enumerate 
a few  of  the  most  important  works.  An  excel- 
lent Ho7tdekoeter^  skied.  A noble  portrait  by 


2o8 


Paris. 


TintorettOy  of  a Venetian  magnate.  A most 
characteristic  Fragonardy  full  of  the  morganatic 
sentiment  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Portraits 
by  NattieVy  affording  more  pleasing  examples 
of  the  early  eighteenth  century  style  than  those 
we  have  hitherto  examined.  Above  it,  a medi- 
ocre Tintoretto  of  Susanna  at  the  Bath,  not 
good  in  colour.  Centre  of  the  hall,  * Wattead s 
Gilles,  an  excellent  embodiment  of  the  innocent 
fool  of  traditional  French  comedy.  ^ Frans 
Hals  s sly  figure  of  a gipsy  woman  is  a fine 
piece  of  vulgar  character-painting.  A good 
Greuzey  etc.  Examine  more  particularly  the 
works  by  Watteatiy  Fragonardy  and  other  bou- 
doir painters,  whose  pictures  on  this  wall  give  a 
more  pleasing  and  fuller  idea  of  the  tempera- 
ment of  their  school  than  that  which  we  ob- 
tained in  other  parts  of  the  collection.  On  the 
right  wall  returning,  — several  good  WatteauSy 
BoucherSy  GretizeSy  etc.  Excellent  small  Dutch 
pictures.  Fine  portrait  by  Rembrandt.  Rem- 
brandt’s Woman  at  the  Bath  is  a characteristic 
example  of  his  strikingly  original  conception  of 
the  nude.  Ribera! s Club-footed  Boy  is  a Span- 
ish pendant  to  Frans  Hals’s  Gipsy.  This 
room,  containing  as  it  does  very  mixed  examples 


FRANS  HALS.  — GIPSY  WOMAN. 


German,  English,  and  French  Schools.  209 

of  all  the  schools,  should  only  be  visited  after 
the  spectator  has  obtained  some  idea  of  each  in 
other  parts  of  the  collection.  Its  Dutch  works, 
in  particular,  are  admirable.  I do  not  enumer- 
ate them,  as  enumeration  is  useless,  but  leave 
it  to  the  reader  to  pick  out  for  himself  several 
fine  examples. 

Now  traverse  the  Galerie  d’ Apollon,  Salon 
Carre,  and  Long  Gallery,  till  you  arrive  at  the 
hall  of  painters  of  the  nineteenth  century 
(Room  VIII.  in  Baedeker's  plan).  This  hall 
contains  for  the  most  part  the  works  of  artists 
of  the  period  of  Louis  Philippe  and  the  early 
Second  Empire,  — almost  our  own  contempo- 
raries. I will  therefore  only  briefly  call  at- 
tention here  to  the  pictures  of  the  romantic 
historical  school,  then  so  prevalent  in  France,  of 
which  Delaroche' s Death  of  Queen  Elizabeth 
and  Princes  in  the  Tower,  and  Delacroix  s Cap- 
ture of  Constantinople  by  the  Crusaders  are 
conspicuous  examples.  Deverids  popular  Birth 
of  Henri  IV.  belongs  to  the  same  category. 
These  picturesque  " treatments  of  history  an- 
swer in  painting  to  the  malign  influence  of 
Walter  Scott  and  Victor  Hugo  in  literature. 
Contrasted  with  them  are  such  semi-classical 


aio 


Paris. 


works  of  the  school  of  David,  softened  and 
modernised,  as  Ingres  s Apotheosis  of  Homer, 
— the  great  poet  crowned  by  Fame,  with  the 
Iliad  and  Odyssey  at  the  base  of  his  pedestal, 
and  surrounded  by  a concourse  of  ancient  and 
modern  singers.  It  is  cold,  but  dignified. 
Lethihe  s Death  of  Virginia,  and  Couture's 
Romans  of  the  Decadence,  represent  to  a cer- 
tain extent  a blending  of  these  two  main  influ- 
ences. I will  not,  however,  particularise,  as 
almost  every  picture  in  this  room  deserves 
some  study  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  evolu- 
tion of  contemporary  art.  I will  merely  ask  the 
reader  not  to  overlook  Flandrin's  famous  nude 
figure,  the  typical  landscapes  by  Rousseau  and 
Millety  and  David' s exquisite  portrait  of  Mme. 
Recamier,  — sufficient  in  itself  to  immortalise 
both  artist  and  sitter.  The  electric  influence 
of  a beautiful  and  pure-souled  woman  has  here 
galvanised  David  for  once  into  full  perception 
and  reproduction  of  truth  and  nature.  Even 
the  severe  Empire  furniture  and  background 
exactly  accord  with  the  character  of  the  picture. 
Ary  Scheffer's  religious  works,  in  his  peculiar 
twilight  style,  on  a solid  blue  background,  will 
strike  every  observer.  Millet's  Gleaners,  and 


German,  English,  and  French  Schools.  211 

Troy  on  s group  of  oxen  strike  each  a new  note  in 
art  at  the  period  when  they  were  painted.  As 
a whole,  this  gallery  represents  all  the  various 
strands  of  feeling  which  have  gone  to  the  pro- 
duction of  modern  painting.  It  attains  to  the 
threshold  of  cosmopolitanism  in  its  Arabs,  its 
negroes,  and  its  Algerian  women  : it  is  blood- 
thirsty and  sensuous ; it  is  calm  and  meditative ; 
it  dashes  with  Courbet,  it  refines  with  Millet ; 
it  oscillates  between  the  world,  the  flesh  and 
the  devil ; it  is  pious  and  meretricious ; it  sums 
up  in  itself  the  endless  contradictory  and  inter- 
lacing tendencies  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
As  regards  chronological  sequence,  one  may  say 
pretty  fairly  that  it  begins  with  classicism, 
passes  through  romanticism,  and  ends  for  the 
moment  in  religious  reaction. 

Come  back  often  to  the  pictures  in  the 
Louvre,  especially  the  Salle  des  Primitifs,  the 
Salon  Carre,  and  the  first  two  bays  of  the  Long 
Gallery. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


FURTHER  HINTS  ON  THE  PAINTINGS  IN  THE 
LOUVRE. 

HE  reader  must  not  suppose  that  these 


-L  brief  notes  give  anything  like  an  adequate 
idea  of  the  way  in  which  pictures  in  such  a gal- 
lery as  the  Louvre  ought  to  be  studied.  My 
object  in  these  Guides  being  mainly  to  open  a 
door,  that  the  tourist  himself  may  enter  and 
look  about  him  carefully,  I have  given  first 
this  connected  account  of  all  the  rooms  in 
chronological  order,  for  the  use  of  those  whose 
time  is  very  limited,  and  who  desire  to  go 
through  the  collection  seriatim.  But  for  the 
benefit  of  others,  who  can  afford  to  pay  many 
successive  visits,  I will  now  take  one  or  two 
particular  pictures  in  detail,  suggesting  what 
seem  to  me  the  best  and  most  fruitful  ways  in 
which  to  study  them.  Try  for  yourself  after- 
wards to  fill  in  a similar  scheme,  as  far  as 


Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  213 

you  can,  for  most  of  the  finest  works  in  this 
gallery. 

I will  begin  with  No.  251,  in  the  Salle  des 
Primitifs,  — Mantegna’s  beautiful  and  glowing 
Madonna  della  Vittoria.  And  I take  Mantegna 
first,  because  (among  other  reasons)  he  is  a 
painter  who  can  be  fairly  well  studied  by  means 
of  the  pictures  in  this  gallery  alone,  without 
any  large  reference  to  his  remaining  works  in 
Italy  or  elsewhere. 

Now,  first,  who  and  what  was  Mantegna,  and 
what  place  does  he  fill  in  the  history  of  art  in 
Italy  ? Well,  he  was  a Paduan  painter,  born  in 
1431,  died  in  1506,  — about  the  time  when 
Raphael  was  painting  the  Belle  Jardiniere,  in 
this  collection.  He  was  a contemporary  and 
brother-in-law  of  Giovanni  and  Gentile  Bellini : 
and  if  you  compare  his  work  with  that  of  the  two 
Bellinis,  even  as  very  inadequately  represented 
here,  you  will  see  that  their  art  has  much  in 
common,  — that  they  stood  at  about  the  same 
level  of  historical  evolution,  and  painted  in  the 
same  careful,  precise,  and  accurate  manner  of 
the  second  half  of  the  fifteenth  century.  Con- 
trast them,  on  the  one  hand,  with  their  immedi- 
ate predecessors,  such  as  Filippo  Lippi  and  Be- 


214 


Paris. 


nozzo  Gozzoli  (juniors  by  roughly  about  twenty 
years),  in  order  to  mark  the  advance  they  made 
on  the  art  of  those  who  went  just  before  them ; 
and  compare  them,  on  the  other  hand,  with 
their  immediate  successors,  such  as  Raphael, 
and  even  their  more  advanced  contemporaries, 
like  Lionardo,  in  order  to  see  what  place  they 
fill  in  the  development  of  painting. 

Again,  Mantegna  was  a pupil  of  Squarcione 
of  Padua,  who  practically  founded  the  Paduan 
school.  Now,  Squarcione  had  travelled  in 
Greece  and  formed  a collection  of  antiques, 
from  which  his  pupils  made  drawings  and 
studies.  Also  Donatello  (the  great  Florentine 
sculptor  of  the  early  Renaissance,  of  whose 
work  you  can  find  some  beautiful  examples  in 
the  Renaissance  sculpture  rooms  of  this  museum) 
had  executed  several  bronzes  in  the  church  of 
Sant’  Antonio,  the  great  local  saint  of  Padua ; 
and  these  likewise  Mantegna  studied ; so  that 
much  of  his  work  bears  traces  of  the  influence 
of  sculpture,  and  especially  of  bas-relief.  He 
is  particularly  fond  of  introducing  reliefs,  fes- 
toons of  fruit  or  flowers,  and  classical  detail 
into  the  accessories  of  his  pictures  : and  these 
peculiarities  are  well  marked  in  the  Mars  and 


Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  215 

Venus,  the  Crucifixion,  and  the  Madonna  della 
Vittoria  in  this  collection.  Compare  all  these 
closely  with  one  another  till  you  think  you  have 
formed  a fair  idea  of  Mantegna's  powerful 
drawing,  strong  realism,  love  of  the  antique, 
solemnity  and  dignity,  clear-cut  style,  and  per- 
fect mastery  of  anatomy  and  technique.  Notice 
his  delicate,  careful,  conscientious  workman- 
ship ; the  precision  and  perfection  of  his  hands 
and  feet ; the  joy  with  which  he  lingers  over 
classical  costume  and  the  painting  of  armour. 
Everything  is  sharp  and  defined  as  in  the  air  of 
Italy,  yet  never  hard,  or  crude,  or  angular. 
Observe,  also,  the  sculpture-like  folds  of  his 
carefully  arranged  draperies,  and  his  love  for 
shot  colours  and  melting  tints  on  metal  or 
marble.  The  St.  Michael  in  this  picture,  and 
the  Roman  soldiers  in  the  Crucifixion,  are  ad- 
mirable examples  of  this  tone  in  his  colouring. 
If  you  wished  to  characterise  Mantegna  in  a 
single  phrase,  however,  you  might  fairly  say  he 
was  the  most  sculpturesque  of  painters. 

As  to  date,  the  Crucifixion  (in  the  Salon 
Carre),  which  formed  one  piece  only  of  the  pre- 
della  or  series  of  small  pictures  at  the  base  of 
the  great  Madonna  in  the  church  of  San  Zeno 


2i6 


Paris. 


at  Verona,  is  the  earliest  example  of  Mantegna’s 
work  here.  It  displays  the  delicate  and  exqui- 
site finish  of  his  youthful  period,  but  it  is  much 
more  mediaeval  in  tone  — has  far  less  freedom 
and  conscious  artistic  power  — than  the  Ma- 
donna della  Vittoria,  which  belongs  to  the  latest 
epoch  of  the  great  painter’s  development.  Ob- 
serve the  early  severity  of  the  figures  in  the 
Crucifixion,  and  the  firmness  of  the  drawing : 
each  personage  stands  out  with  statuesque  dis- 
tinctness. But  note,  too,  that  at  this  early 
stage,  Mantegna’s  expression  of  emotion  was 
still  inadequate  : in  his  striving  to  be  powerful, 
he  overdid  the  passions,  sometimes  almost  to 
the  verge  of  grotesqueness.  On  the  other  hand, 
do  not  overlook  the  dramatic  force  of  the  pic* 
ture,  as  shown,  for  example,  in  the  vivid  con- 
trast between  the  anguish  of  the  Madonna,  with 
her  attendant  St.  John,  etc.,  and  the  callous 
carelessness  of  the  soldiers  casting  lots  for  the 
Redeemer’s  raiment.  The  Mars  and  Venus, 
once  more,  of  his  middle  period,  represents  an 
intermediate  stage  between  the  two  styles. 
What  is  meant  by  a predella,  again,  you  can 
see  by  looking  at  Fra  Angelico’s  Coronation  of 
the  Virgin,  and  other  similar  pictures  in  this 


Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  217 

room,  — the  little  figures  of  St.  Dominic  and 
his  miracles,  beneath  the  main  altar-piece,  being 
examples  of  this  adjunct.  The  Crucifixion 
formed  the  central  picture  of  three  such  minor 
episodes  : the  Agony  in  the  Garden  and  the 
Ascension,  to  right  and  left  of  it,  are  now  in 
the  Museum  at  Tours.  Napoleon  I.  had  car- 
ried off  the  entire  work  from  Verona ; at  the 
Restoration,  the  Madonna  was  returned  to  San 
Zeno,  but  the  three  pieces  of  the  predella  were 
retained  in  France  and  thus  distributed.  If 
you  go  to  Tours  or  Verona,  recollect  the  con- 
nection of  the  various  fragments. 

Next,  what  was  the  occasion  for  painting  this 
Madonna  della  Vittoria.^  You  will  remember 
that  in  1494,  Charles  VIII.  of  France,  invited 
by  Ludovico  Sforza,  Duke  of  Milan,  invaded 
North  Italy,  and  conquered  a large  part  of  it, 
including  Florence,  Pisa,  and  Rome  itself. 
Marching  then  on  Naples,  the  boy  king 
achieved  a further  success,  which  turned  his 
own  head  and  that  of  his  army.  (Read  up 
all  this  episode  in  any  good  French  history.) 
But  Venice,  trembling  for  her  supremacy, 
formed  a league  against  him  ; and  soon  after, 
all  Italy,  alarmed  at  his  success,  coalesced  to 


Paris, 


218 

repel  the  invader.  The  little  republics  united 
their  forces  under  Giovanni  Francesco  Gonzaga, 
Marquis  of  Mantua,  and  met  Charles,  on  the 
6th  of  July,  1495,  at  the  pass  of  Fornova,  on 
the  Taro.  The  French  king,  it  is  true,  forced 
his  way  through  the  hostile  army,  and  made 
good  his  retreat  : but  the  allies,  though  baffled, 
claimed  the  victory,  and  as  a matter  of  fact, 
Charles  immediately  concluded  a treaty  of 
peace  and  returned  to  Lyons.  In  commem- 
oration of  this  event,  the  Marquis  Gonzaga  in 
gratitude  erected  a church  at  Mantua  as  a 
votive  offering  to  the  Madonna,  and  dedicated 
it  under  the  name  of  Santa  Maria  della  Vittoria. 

At  that  time,  and  for  some  years  previously, 
Mantegna  had  been  in  the  service  of  the  Gon- 
zaga family  at  Mantua,  where  he  lived  for  the 
greater  part  of  his  artistic  life.  In  the  castello 
of  that  town,  he  executed  several  frescoes,  illus- 
trating domestic  events  in  the  history  of  the 
Gonzagas,  which  are  still  among  the  most  in- 
teresting objects  to  be  visited  in  Mantua.  It 
was  natural,  therefore,  that  he  should  be  in- 
vited by  Giovanni  Francesco  Gonzaga  to  paint 
the  altar-piece  for  the  high  altar  of  the  church 
to  commemorate  this  victory.  The  picture 


MANTEGNA.  — MADONNA  DELLA  VITTORIA. 


Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  219 

must  have  been  finished  about  the  year  1498 
or  1500.  It  stood  in  the  building  for  which  it 
was  painted  till  Napoleon  I.  brought  it  from 
Italy  to  Paris,  where  it  has  ever  since  remained. 

These  circumstances  sufficiently  explain  the 
collection  of  saints  who  figure  in  the  picture. 
In  the  centre  is  the  Madonna  of  Victory  herself, 
to  whom  Gonzaga  vowed  the  church  in  case 
he  should  be  successful.  She  is  enthroned, 
as  usual.  The  garlands  of  flowers  and  fruit, 
and  the  coral  over  her  head,  are  favourite 
accessories  with  Mantegna : they  occur  again 
in  the  (much  earlier)  Madonna  at  San  Zeno, 
Verona,  of  which  the  Crucifixion  here  formed 
part  of  the  predella.  The  figures  of  Adam  and 
Eve,  in  imitation  of  relief,  on  the  pedestal,  are 
thoroughly  characteristic  of  Mantegna’s  style, 
and  recall  the  Paduan  school  of  Squarcione,  and 
the  master’s  dependence  on  the  work  of  Dona- 
tello. The  overloading  of  the  picture  with 
flowers,  festoons,  and  architectural  decoration 
is  also  a Paduan  feature  of  the  same  school : 
it  comes  out  equally  in  the  works  of  Carlo 
Crivelli  — not  well  seen  in  this  collection.  On 
his  knees  in  the  foreground  is  Gonzaga  himself, 
with  his  villainous  Italian  Renaissance  face,  as 


220 


Paris. 


of  a man  who  would  try  to  bribe  Our  Lady  with 
presents.  And  indeed  Our  Lady  stretches  out 
her  friendly  hand  towards  him,  as  if  to  assure 
him  of  favour  and  victory.  Notice  that  the 
marquis  wears  his  armour : he  is  giving  thanks, 
as  it  were,  on  the  field  of  battle. 

As  often  with  Mantegna,  the  minor  characters 
and  saints  are  fuller  of  life  than  the  two  central 
divine  personages : his  Madonnas  have  fre- 
quently a tendency  to  be  insipid.  On  the  left 
of  the  picture,  flanking  the  Virgin,  stands  St. 
Michael  the  Archangel,  the  warrior  of  God,'' 
as  representing  the  idea  that  the  Lord  of  Hosts 
fought  on  the  side  of  the  Italian  confederacy. 
This  beautiful  figure,  clad  in  refulgent  heavenly 
armour,  is  one  of  the  noblest  and  loveliest  that 
Mantegna  ever  painted.  Compare  it  with  the 
two  St.  Michaels  by  Raphael,  the  early  one  in 
the  Long  Gallery,  the  later  in  the  Salon  Carre : 
note  the  general  similarity  of  type,  with  the 
divergence  in  treatment.  A little  behind,  again 
half  seen,  stands  St.  Andrew,  who  was  both 
Andrea  Mantegna's  own  namesake,  and  also 
one  of  the  patrons  of  Mantua.  He  has  an 
important  church  dedicated  in  his  honour  in 
that  town,  — a Renaissance  church,  by  Leon 


Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  221 

Battista  Alberti : and  in  this  church  of  his 
patron,  Mantegna  himself  is  buried.  For  the 
altar-piece  of  this  same  church,  which  he  had 
doubtless  selected  beforehand  for  his  own  last 
resting-place,  the  great  artist  also  painted  a 
representation  of  the  risen  Saviour,  with  St. 
Andrew  holding  the  cross  of  his  martyrdom 
on  one  side,  and  St.  Longinus  (of  whom  more 
shortly)  with  his  spear  on  the  other.  Thus 
there  was  every  reason  both  why  St.  Andrew 
should  be  represented  in  a picture  painted  for 
the  Marquis  of  Mantua,  and  why  he  should 
more  particularly  appear  in  a work  by  Andrea 
Mantegna.  As  one  of  the  patron  saints  of 
town  and  painter,  he  naturally  had  his  share 
in  the  thanksgiving  for  the  victory.  His 
features  in  this  picture,  and  in  the  one  at 
Mantua,  are  closely  similar.  Mantegna,  indeed, 
imitated  an  older  type,  which  he  made  his  own, 
and  reproduced  like  a portrait.  Note  that  St. 
Andrew  bears  a cross  as  his  symbol. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  Madonna,  St.  Eliza- 
beth kneels  in  the  foreground,  representing, 
I think,  the  patron  saint  of  the  marchesa,  Gon- 
zaga's  wife,  who  was  Isabella  d’Este,  sister  of 
Duke  Alfonso  of  Ferrara.  (Isabella  and  Elisa- 


222 


Paris. 


beth  are  always  regarded  as  variants  of  the 
same  name.)  Now  in  the  chapel  of  St.  Longi- 
nus, in  the  church  of  St.  Andrea  at  Mantua, 
aforesaid,  where  Mantegna  is  buried,  he  also 
painted  a Madonna,  with  this  same  St.  Eliza- 
beth, holding  the  infant  St.  John  Baptist,  while 
the  child  Christ  blesses  him  : no  doubt  a votive 
offering  from  Isabella.  Here  again  we  have 
a type  of  St.  Elizabeth  repeated  in  this  picture. 
Behind  St.  Elizabeth  stands  the  exquisitely 
wistful  St.  George,  the  patron  saint  of  the 
Venetian  territory,  representing  the  part  borne 
by  Venice  and  her  dependencies  in  the  war 
of  expulsion ; the  patron  receives  the  thanks 
of  his  faithful  votaries.  (Mrs.  Jameson  thinks 
this  figure  is  St.  Maurice,  another  military 
saint,  and  patron  of  Mantua ; comparison  with 
various  St.  Georges  and  St.  Maurices,  else- 
where, makes  me  disagree  with  her.  Besides, 
St.  George’s  lance  is  often  broken,  as  here ; 
you  can  note  it  so  in  the  Raphael  of  the  Long 
Gallery.)  In  the  background  stands  St.  Longi- 
nus, a Roman  soldier,  distinguishable  by  his 
lance  and  antique  helmet.  According  to  tradi- 
tion, Longinus  was  the  centurion  who  pierced 
the  side  of  Christ : you  see  him  so  in  the  famous 


Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the  Lovivre.  223 

Rubens  (called  the  Coup  de  Lance)  at  Antwerp, 
and  in  almost  every  mediaeval  Crucifixion  or 
Calvary.  (Look  out  for  him  in  future.)  When 
he  saw  the  wonders  which  accompanied  the 
Passion,  we  are  told  in  Scripture  that  he  ex- 
claimed, Truly  this  man  was  the  Son  of  God.” 
Later  legend  made  him  be  converted,  after 
being  afflicted  with  sudden  blindness,  and 
undergo  a singular  voluntary  martyrdom.  His 
relics  were  brought  to  Mantua  in  the  eleventh 
century,  and  he  has  ever  since  been  the  chief 
patron  saint  of  that  city.  Mantegna  painted 
him  often,  and  sometimes  made  a type  of  him. 
In  the  picture  already  described  in  the  chapel 
of  St.  Longinus,  he  answers,  as  here,  to  St. 
Andrew,  and  wears  a classical  costume,  on 
which  the  painter  has  lavished  his  usual  care 
and  minute  accuracy  of  drawing.  Notice  him 
also  in  the  foreground  of  Mantegna's  Crucifixion 
in  the  Salon  Carre,  bearing  his  spear,  — where, 
however,  the  type  is  not  followed  as  usual. 
Thus  not  one  of  the  characters  grouped  around 
the  Madonna  in  this  exquisite  picture  is  without 
its  full  relevancy  and  meaning. 

Do  not  overlook,  in  this  military  votive  offer- 
ing, the  preponderance  of  soldier  saints,  and 


224 


Paris. 


their  appearance  under  arms,  to  commemorate 
the  victory. 

Observe  also  the  way  in  which  St.  George 
and  St.  Michael  hold  the  Madonna's  mantle,  so 
as  to  enclose  or  embrace  Gonzaga  and  his  wife’s 
patroness,  St.  Elizabeth.  This  is  a symbol  of 
the  Madonna’s  protection  : in  what  is  called  a 
a Madonna  della  Misericordia,  Our  Lady’s  robe 
thus  shelters  numerous  votaries.  So,  at  Cluny, 
you  will  find  a sculptured  St.  Ursula  (in  Room 
VI.)  sheltering  under  her  mantle  as  many  of  the 
eleven  thousand  virgins  as  the  sculptor  could 
manage,  — as  she  also  does  in  the  Memling  at 
Bruges. 

On  the  aesthetic  side,  note  once  more  the 
marked  distinction  which  Mantegna  draws 
between  the  historical  portrait  of  the  kneeling 
Gonzaga  — a most  ruthless  ruffian  — and  the 
ideal  figures  of  saints  by  whom  he  is  surrounded. 
Remark,  again,  the  angelic  sweetness  of  the 
round-faced  St.  Michael,  contrasted  with  the 
purely  human  look  of  longing  and  strife,  and 
the  guarded  purity  in  the  countenance  of  the 
St.  George,  — who  almost  foreshadows  Burne- 
Jones  and  Rossetti.  Observe,  too,  how  this 
romantic  saint  serves  as  a foil  to  the  practical 


Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  225 

Roman  Longinus,  with  his  honest  and  sober 
face,  and  his  soldierly  sense  of  duty.  Study 
the  melting  tones  of  colour  throughout,  and 
contrast  the  simple  devotional  calm  of  this 
religious  work  with  the  rapidity  and  move- 
ment of  the  mundane  Mars  and  Venus  beside 
it.  Do  not  overlook  a single  detail : every 
hand  and  foot,  every  surface  of  metal,  every 
fruit  and  flower  is  worthy  of  attention. 

As  always,  I have  only  tried  here  to  explain 
this  picture,  not  to  make  you  admire  it.  But 
the  longer  you  look  at  it  the  more  you  will  be 
charmed  by  its  wonderful  colour,  its  poetic 
grace,  and  the  exquisite  beauty  of  its  drawing 
and  composition. 

Now,  still  in  the  same  connection,  go  on  into 
the  Long  Gallery,  and  look,  near  Andrea  del 
Sarto’s  Holy  Family,  at  a mannered  and  theatri- 
cal picture  of  the  Nativity  by  Giulio  Romano. 
This  is  not  a Nativity  simple,  but  one  with 
selected  saints  looking  on  ; it  was  painted  for  the 
altar-piece  of  the  altar  of  the  chapel  of  St.  Lon- 
ginus in  Sant’  Andrea  at  Mantua,  — the  same  in 
which  Mantegna  had  earlier  painted  the  Lon- 
ginus pictures  noted  above.  The  central  portion 
of  this  altar-piece  consists  of  a tolerably  convem 


226 


Paris. 


tional  Nativity,  with  the  adoring  shepherds, 
Raphaelised  by  Giulio  Romano  (who  was  Ra- 
phael’s favourite  pupil)  in  accordance  with  the 
ideas  of  the  early  sixteenth  century.  (It  is 
interesting  to  note,  by  the  way,  the  nature  of 
these  modifications.)  In  the  background  is  the 
herald  angel  appearing  to  the  shepherds  : this 
scene,  prior  in  time  to  the  other,  was  often  so 
represented  in  the  same  picture  or  carving ; 
look  out  for  it  elsewhere,  and  also  for  such  non- 
contemporaneous  episodes  in  general.  But  the 
attendant  saints,  to  right  and  left,  looking 
on  at  the  sacred  scene,  are  St.  John  the  livan- 
gelist  (known  by  his  chalice  and  serpent)  and 
St.  Longinus.  The  last  named  holds  in  his 
hands  a crystal  vase,  — a pyx  or  reliquary,  con- 
taining the  sacred  blood  of  Christ,  which  Longi- 
nus caught  as  it  fell,  and  which  was  brought 
with  the  rest  of  the  relics  to  Mantua,  and  pre- 
served in  the  very  chapel  for  which  this  picture 
was  intended.  Compare  this  dull  Longinus  with 
the  two  by  Mantegna  in  this  collection  ; and 
when  you  visit  Mantua,  remember  that  these 
pictures  came  from  these  two  churches.  By 
thus  interweaving  your  facts,  you  will  get  a 
far  clearer  conception  in  the  end  of  the  con- 


Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  227 

nection  of  art  than  you  can  possibly  do  if  you 
regard  the  various  works  in  pure  isolation. 

But  what  was  Giulio  Romano  doing  at  Man- 
tua ? After  Raphael’s  death,  his  pupils  were 
dispersed  ; and  this  his  favourite  follower  settled 
down  in  the  serviee  of  Duke  Federigo  Gonzaga 
(the  first  duke,  — the  earlier  lords  were  mar- 
quises), for  whom  he  deeorated  the  Palazzo  del 
Te,  with  its  grotesque  Titans.  Primaticeio  and 
Niccolo  deir  Abbate,  pupils  again  of  Giulio’s, 
were  educated  at  Mantua,  and  afterward  sum- 
moned by  Frangois  to  Franee,  where  they 
became  the  founders  of  the  sehool  of  Fontaine- 
bleau. They  thus  passed  on  the  Raphaelesque 
traditions  into  the  Freneh  capital.  It  is  partly 
for  this  reason  that  I have  selected  for  my  first 
examples  this  particular  Mantuan  group  of  paint- 
ings, in  order  that  you  may  realise  the  close  inter- 
aetion  of  Freneh  and  Italian  politics,  and  the 
continuity  of  the  Italian  with  the  French 
Renaissance. 

It  is  worth  while,  too,  to  inquire  how  the  dif- 
ferent pietures  eame  into  this  collection.  The 
Madonna  della  Vittoria,  we  saw,  was  brought  as 
a trophy  of  war  from  Italy  by  Napoleon.  The 
Giulio  Romano,  after  hanging  for  some  time  in 


228 


Paris. 


the  chapel  at  Mantua,  for  which  it  was  painted, 
was  shortly  annexed  by  the  Duke  of  Mantua, 
who  sold  it  to  Charles  I.  of  England.  That 
king  formed  a noble  collection  of  Italian  and 
Flemish  works,  which,  after  his  execution,  was 
sold  by  the  Commonwealth  for  a very  small 
prite  to  a dealer  named  Jabach,  who  in  his  turn 
disposed  of  most  of  the  pictures  to  Louis  XIV.  ; 
they  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  Louvre  collec- 
tion. Look  out  for  these  works  of  which  Puri- 
tan England  thus  deprived  herself,  and  see  how 
considerable  a portion  they  form  of  the  earlier 
treasures  of  this  gallery. 

Lastly,  return  once  more  to  the  Mantegnas 
in  the  Salle  des  Primitifs,  and  notice  that  the  so- 
called  Parnassus,  — that  is  to  say,  the  Mars  and 
Venus  discovered  by  Vulcan,  — as  well  as  the 
Vices  conquered  by  Wisdom,  and  the  companion 
pieces  by  Perugino  and  Costa,  were  all  painted 
for  Isabella  d’Este-Gonzaga,  to  decorate  her  bou- 
doir at  Mantua.  Of  these  works,  I think  Man- 
tegna’s are  the  oldest,  and  struck  the  keynote 
for  figures  and  treatment.  For  after  Man- 
tegna’s death,  the  Ferrarese  painter,  Costa,  was 
invited  from  Isabella’s  home  to  become  court- 
painter  at  Mantua,  and  the  Perugino  is  one  in 


MANTEGNA.  — PARNASSUS. 


Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  229 

that  master’s  latest  manner,  most  tinged  with 
the  Renaissance.  Giulio  Romano,  again,  suc- 
ceeded Costa.  If  you  will  now  compare  Man- 
tegna’s two  works  in  this  series  with  his  others 
in  this  gallery,  you  will  be  able  to  form  a clearer 
conception  of  his  admirable  fancy,  his  unvarying 
grace,  and  his  perfect  mastery  of  execution : 
while  if  you  contrast  them  with  those  by  the 
two  contemporary  artists,  — the  Umbrian  Peru- 
gino  and  the  Ferrarese  Costa,  — you  will  be 
enabled  to  observe  what  was  the  common  note 
of  these  early  Renaissance  masters,  and  what 
their  distinctive  individual  characteristics.  In 
particular,  you  may  notice  in  these  works,  when 
looked  at  side  by  side  with  those  of  earlier 
painters,  the  enormous  advance  Mantegna  had 
made  in  anatomy  and  in  perspective.  He  is  the 
scientific  painter  of  Upper  Italy,  as  Lionardo  is 
the  scientific  painter  of  Florence. 

These  four  pictures  again  made  their  way  to 
the  Louvre  by  a different  route.  They  were 
captured  at  the  sack  of  Mantua  in  1630,  and 
originally  came  to  France  to  decorate  the 
chateau  of  Cardinal  Richelieu. 

Once  more,  Duke  Alfonso  d’Este,  Isabella’s 
brother,  is  the  person  whom  you  see  in  the  por- 


230 


Paris. 


trait  by  Titian  in  the  Salon  Carre,  together  with 
his  mistress  Laura  Dianti,  painted  about  1520. 
Familiarity  with  such  facts  alone  can  give  you 
any  adequate  idea  of  the  extraordinary  rapidity 
in  the  development  of  art  and  the  modernisa- 
tion of  Italy  in  the  sixteenth  century. 

For  my  next  example  I will  take  a quite 
obscure  and  unnoticed  picture,  also  in  the  Salle 
des  Primitifs,  Giovanni  Massone’s  altar-piece  in 
three  compartments,  number  261. 

Savona  is  an  unimportant  little  town  between 
Nice  and  Genoa,  chiefly  noteworthy  at  the  pres- 
ent day  as  the  junction  for  a branch  line  to 
Turin.  But  in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  cen- 
turies, it  was  a flourishing  place,  which  gave 
employment  to  many  distinguished  Piedmontese 
and  Lombard  artists,  the  most  famous  of  whom 
were  Foppa  and  Brea.  It  also  gave  birth  to 
two  famous  popes,  Sixtus  IV.  and  Julius  II., 
the  latter  of  whom  is  familiar  to  most  of  us 
from  the  magnificent  portrait  by  Raphael,  three 
replicas  of  which  exist,  in  the  Ufflzi  and  the 
Pitti  Palace  in  Florence,  and  in  the  National 
Gallery  in  London.  Sixtus  IV.  erected  for 
himself  a superb  sepulchral  chapel  in  his  native 


Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  231 

town  of  Savona : go  and  see  it,  if  you  pass 
by  there,  as  well  as  the  modern  statue  of  the 
pope  erected  by  his  fellow  citizens.  From  that 
chapel  this  picture,  by  an  otherwise  unknown 
artist,  has  been  abstracted  and  brought  here. 
We  know  its  author  merely  by  the  signature 
he  has  placed  on  a cartellino  or  strip  of  paper 
in  the  picture  itself : Joh[ann]es  Mazonus  de 
Alex[andri]a  pinxit,  — showing  that  he  was  born 
in  the  Piedmontese  town  of  Alessandria.  For 
the  rest,  he  is  a mere  name  to  us. 

The  picture  itself,  by  no  means  a master- 
piece, has  in  its  centre  the  Nativity,  designed  in 
the  usual  conventional  fashion,  and  in  a some- 
what antiquated  Lombard  style.  The  Madonna 
and  St.  Joseph  have  very  solid  halos ; the 
action  takes  plaee  in  a ruined  temple,  as  often, 
symbolising  the  triumph  of  Christianity  over 
heathendom.  In  the  background  are  a land- 
scape, and  some  pleasing  accessories.  But  the 
^ lateral  subjeets  give  it  greater  interest.  In  the 
compartment  to  the  left  stands  St.  Francis  of 
Assisi,  in  his  usual  brown  Franciscan  robe,  as 
protector  of  Sixtus  IV,,  who  kneels  beside  him. 
Notiee  this  way  of  marking  the  name  of  a 
donor,  for  the  pope  was  Cardinal  Francesco 


Paris. 


232 

della  Rovere.  Observe,  too,  the  stigmata,  as 
far  as  visible,  and  compare  this  much  later 
figure  of  St.  Francis  with  those  in  the  picture 
by  Giotto  and  its  two  imitators.  On  the  right 
stands  a second  Franciscan  saint,  also  in  the 
coarse  brown  garb  of  his  order,  — the  same  in 
whose  church  Andrea  Mantegna  studied  Dona- 
tello, and  whom  we  have  seen  more  than  once 
during  our  Parisian  excursions  holding  in  his 
arms  the  infant  Christ,  — St.  Antony  of  Padua. 
He  lays  his  arms  on  the  shoulder  of  a second 
votary,  — the  Cardinal  della  Rovere,  afterward 
the  stern  and  formidable  pope,  Julius  II.  If 
you  know  the  National  Gallery  and  the  Vatican, 
see  whether  you  can  recognise  an  earlier  stage 
of  the  same  features  which  occurs  in  the  famous 
portrait,  and  also  in  the  figure  of  the  pope, 
borne  on  the  shoulders  of  his  stalwart  attend- 
ants into  the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  in  a corner 
of  the  famous  fresco  of  the  Expulsion  of 
Heliodorus. 

Recollect,  again,  that  it  was  for  the  tomb  of 
this  same  Pope  Julius  II.  that  Michael  Angelo 
produced  the  two  so-called  Fettered  Slaves, 
which  you  have  seen  or  will  see  in  the  Re- 
naissance sculpture  room  of  this  collection. 


RAPHAEL.  — ST.  GEORGE. 


• msr  V 

, of  m 


Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  233 

Weave  your  knowledge  together  in  this  way, 
till  it  forms  a connected  whole,  which  enables 
you  far  better  to  understand  and  appreciate. 

I call  your  special  attention  to  this  picture, 
among  other  things,  for  its  historical  rather 
than  its  artistic  value.  But  I want  you  also 
to  realise  that  the  man  who  was  painted  in  this 
rude  and  antiquated  style  in  his  middle  age  was 
painted  again  in  his  declining  years  by  Raphael 
at  the  summit  of  his  powers,  and  was  a patron 
of  the  mighty  Michael  Angelo  at  the  zenith  of 
his  development.  This  will  help  to  impress 
upon  you  better  than  anything  else  the  neces- 
sity for  carefully  noting  chronology,  and  will 
also  supply  a needed  caution  that  you  must  not 
regard  any  work  as  necessarily  early  on  no  better 
ground  than  because  it  is  comparatively  archaic 
in  style  and  treatment. 

Next  inspect  the  two  little  companion  pic- 
tures of  St.  George  and  St.  Michael  by  Raphael, 
on  the  right  wall  of  the  first  compartment  in  the 
Long  Gallery.  These  two  small  works  are  rare 
examples  of  Raphael’s  very  earliest  pre-Peru- 
ginesque  manner.  Morelli  has  shown  that  the 
great  painter  was  first  of  all  a pupil  of  Timoteo 


^34 


Paris. 


Viti  at  Urbino,  his  native  town.  If  you  have 
not  visited  Bologna  and  Milan,  however,  this 
will  tell  you  little,  for  nowhere  else  can  you 
see  Timoteo  to  any  great  advantage  ; and  I 
may  observe  here  that  the  best  time  to  visit 
the  Louvre  is  after  you  have  been  in  Italy, 
where  you  ought  to  have  formed  a clear  con- 
ception of  the  various  masters  and  their  rela- 
tions to  one  another.  But  you  can  see  at  least, 
on  the  face  of  them,  that  these  two  simple  and 
graceful  little  works  are  quite  different  in  style 
and  manner  even  from  the  Belle  Jardiniere,*' 
and  certainly  very  unlike  the  much  later  St. 
Margaret  which  hangs  close  by  them.  They 
are  still  comparatively  mediaeval  in  tone : they 
have  a definiteness  and  clearness  of  outline 
which  contrasts  strongly  with  the  softer  melt- 
ing tones  of  Raphael's  later  work  ; they  show 
as  yet  no  tinge  of  the  affected  prettinesses 
which  he  learned  from  Perugino,  — still  less  of 
his  latter  Florentine  and  Roman  manners.  They 
are  painted  on  the  back  of  a chess  or  draught 
board,  and  were  produced  for  Duke  Guidobaldo 
of  Urbino  about  the  year  1500. 

Look  first  at  the  St.  George.  The  subject 
here  is  the  Combat  with  the  Dragon ; and 


Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  23  5 

Raphael,  in  representing  it,  has  strictly  followed 
the  conventional  arrangement  of  earlier  painters. 
No  earlier  picture  for  comparison  with  his  treat- 
ment exists  in  this  gallery,  though  there 
are  plenty  elsewhere ; but  if  you  will  look 
down-stairs  at  the  majolica  relief  of  the  same 
subject  in  the  Della  Robbia  room  of  the  Re- 
naissance sculpture  gallery,  you  will  see  how 
closely  Raphael’s  work  corresponds  with  earlier 
representations  of  the  same  pretty  myth.  As 
you  will  now  have  learned,  there  is  always  a 
regular  way  to  envisage  every  stock  subject : 
whoever  produced  a Combat  of  St.  George  with 
the  dragon  was  compelled  by  custom  and  the 
expectations  of  his  patron  to  include  these  vari- 
ous elements,  — a St.  George  in  armour,  on 
horseback,  the  horse  usually  white,  as  here ; a 
wounded  dragon,  most  often  to  the  right  ; the 
princess  running  away  in  terror  in  the  distance, 
or  at  least  crouching  abjectly.  There  is  a Tin- 
toretto of  this  subject,  indeed,  in  the  National 
Gallery,  where  some  critics  have  blamed  the 
great  Venetian  painter  for  making  the  princess 
look  away  in  terror,  instead  of  turning  with 
gratitude  to  thank  her  brave  preserver.  But 
the  conventional  representation  demanded  that 


236 


Paris. 


the  princess  should  flee  or  cower : people  were 
accustomed  to  that  treatment  of  the  theme,  and 
expected  always  to  see  it  repeated.  It  was 
their  notion  of  a St.  George.  We  must  set 
down  a great  deal  in  early  art  to  this  sense  of 
expectation  on  the  part  of  patrons.  Tintoretto, 
who  came  much  later  than  Raphael,  after  the 
mighty  Renaissance  painters  had  accustomed 
the  world  to  put  up  with,  or  even  to  look  for, 
novelty  of  composition,  often  ventured  very 
largely  to  depart  from  traditional  motives.  In 
his  picture,  therefore,  the  princess  occupies  the 
foreground,  — a most  revolutionary  proceeding, 
— while  the  action  itself  is  relegated  somewhat 
to  the  middle  distance.  But  if  you  compare  the 
three  representations  of  this  scene  to  be  found 
in  the  Louvre,  — this  picture  and  the  two  reliefs 
by  Della  Robbia  and  Michel  Colombe  respec- 
tively, — you  will  see  that  the  princess  in 
earlier  times  is  always  represented  quite  small 
in  the  distance,  and  is  usually  running  away, 
or  at  best  kneeling  with  clasped  hands  in  abject 
terror. 

In  the  Raphael,  the  dragon  is  already 
wounded,  but  he  has  broken  the  saint’s  lance, 
with  part  of  which  he  is  transfixed,  while  the 


Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  237 

remainder  lies  in  fragments  on  the  ground  be- 
behind  him.  St.  George,  on  his  prancing  steed, 
is  drawing  his  sword  to  finish  off  the  monster. 
In  the  Michel  Colombe,  on  the  other  hand, 
(down-stairs  in  the  French  Renaissance  sculp- 
ture), the  dragon  is  biting  at  the  lance,  which 
explains  why  it  is  broken  here,  and  also  why 
the  St.  George  in  Mantegna’s  Madonna  holds 
a broken  shaft  as  his  emblem  or  symbol.  Ob- 
serve, however,  that  while  the  French  sculptor, 
with  questionable  taste,  makes  the  dragon  oc- 
cupy the  larger  part  of  the  field,  so  as  some- 
what to  dwarf  St.  George  and  his  steed,  the 
Italian  sculptor,  and  still  more  the  Italian 
painter,  have  shown  greater  tact  in  treating 
the  dragon  as  a comparative  accessory,  and 
concentrating  attention  upon  the  militant  saint, 
combating  with  spiritual  arms  the  evil  demon. 
In  this  picture,  as  Mrs.  Jameson  well  observes, 
the  conception  is  on  the  whole  serenely  alle- 
gorical and  religious  in  spirit.  But  Raphael 
himself  painted  a second  St.  George,  at  a later 
date,  for  the  Duke  of  Urbino  to  present  to 
Henry  VII.  of  England.  In  this  other  picture, 
which  is  now  in  the  Hermitage  at  St.  Peters- 
burg, St.  George  is  treated  rather  as  the  patron 


238 


Paris. 


saint  of  England  than  as  the  champion  of 
right,  — to  mark  which  fact  he  wears  the 
Order  of  the  Garter  round  his  knee,  with  its 
familiar  motto.  As  champion  of  England,  he 
is  rushing  on  the  monster  with  fiery  energy : 
the  picture  is  in  this  case  more  military  than 
spiritual.  The  moment  chosen  is  the  one  where 
he  is  just  transfixing  the  dragon  with  his  lance  ; 
the  rescued  princess  is  here  again  in  the  back- 
ground. 

Note  once  more  that  these  various  works  are 
pictures  of  the  combat  of  St.  George  with  the 
dragon.  In  devotional  pictures  of  the  Ma- 
donna, St.  George  frequently  stands  by  Our 
Lady’s  side,  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of 
the  particular  donor,  as  patron  saint  of  that 
person  himself,  or  of  his  town  or  family.  In 
Venetian  pictures,  as  we  have  seen,  he  is  very 
frequent,  being  one  of  the  patron  saints  of 
Venice,  and  more  particularly  of  the  Venetian 
army  and  the  conquered  territory.  You  will 
find  it  interesting,  after  you  have  finished  the 
examination  of  the  two  Raphaels,  to  go  round 
the  devotional  Italian  pictures  in  the  Salle  des 
Primitifs,  the  Long  Gallery,  and  the  Salon  Carre, 
in  order  to  note  his  various  appearances.  He 


Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  239 

is  usually  marked  by  his  lance  and  his  armour  : 
the  absence  of  wings  (a  point  not  always  noticed 
by  beginners)  will  enable  you  at  once  to  dis- 
criminate him  from  St.  Michael,  — as  man  from 
angel.  The  more  you  learn  to  look  out  for  such 
recurrences  of  saints,  and  to  account  for  the 
reasons  for  their  appearance,  the  more  will  you 
understand  and  enjoy  picture  galleries,  and  the 
more  will  you  throw  yourself  into  the  devo- 
tional mediaeval  atmosphere  which  produced 
such  pictures. 

Now  turn  to  the  second  little  Raphael.  This 
represents  the  closely  cognate  subject  of  St. 
Michael  and  the  Dragon,  — the  angelic  as  op- 
posed to  the  human  counterpart.  The  two 
ideas  are  at  bottom  identical,  — the  power  of 
good  overcoming  evil ; the  true  faith  combating 
heathendom.  It  is  a world-wide  myth,  occur- 
ring in  many  forms,  — as  Horus  and  Typhon, 
as  Perseus,  as  Bellerophon.  Hence  Michael 
and  George,  the  superhuman  and  the  human 
soldier  of  right,  often  balance  one  another,  as 
in  these  two  pictures : you  have  seen  them 
doing  so  already  in  the  Madonna  della  Vittoria ; 
look  out  for  them  elsewhere  in  this  conjunction. 
Both  are  knights ; both  are  in  armour ; but  one 


240 


Paris. 


is  a man  and  the  other  an  angel.  In  this  second 
little  picture,  St.  Michael  is  seen,  clad  in  his 
usual  gorgeous  mail,  treading  on  the  neck  of 
the  dragon  and  menacing  it  with  his  sword. 
The  dark  and  lurid  landscape  in  the  background 
contains  many  fearful  forms  of  uncertain  mon- 
sters : condemned  souls  are  plagued  in  it  by 
demons,  while  a flaming  town  flares  murkily 
toward  heaven  in  the  far  distance,  the  details 
being  taken,  as  in  many  such  works,  from 
Dante’s  Inferno.  Or  rather,  they  and  the 
Inferno  represent  the  same  old  traditional 
view  of  Hades.  (The  figures  weighed  down 
with  leaden  cowls  are  the  hypocrites,  while  the 
thieves  are  tormented  by  a plague  of  serpents.) 
Close  comparison  of  these  two  little  works  will 
give  you  a good  idea  of  Raphael’s  earliest 
Urbino  manner.  This  fantastic  picture,  how- 
ever, though  full  of  imagination,  is  by  no  means 
so  pleasing  as  the  dainty  St.  George  beside  it. 

Go  straight  from  this  combat  to  the  Great 
St.  Michael,  also  by  Raphael,  in  the  Salon 
Carre.  It  bears  the  date  1518.  Pope  Leo  X. 
commissioned  Raphael  to  paint  this  picture  as  a 
a present  for  Frangois  : the  painter  — to 
whom  he  left  the  choice  of  subject  — chose  St. 


RAPHAEL. 


ST.  MICHAEL. 


Hints  on  the  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  241 

Michael,  the  military  patron  of  France,  and  of 
the  Order  of  which  the  king  was  Grand  Master. 
(You  will  find  a bronze  bust  of  Francois,  wear- 
ing the  collar  and  pendant  of  St.  Michael,  in 
the  Renaissance  sculpture.)  He  chose  it  also, 
no  doubt,  because  it  enabled  him  to  show  his 
increased  mastery  over  life  and  action.  This 
great  and  noble  picture,  one  of  the  finest  as 
regards  dramatic  rapidity  ever  painted  by  Ra- 
phael, is  celebrated  for  the  instantaneous  effect 
of  its  movement.  (Compare  the  demoniac  boy 
in  the  Transfiguration  at  the  Vatican.)  The 
warrior  archangel  has  just  swooped  down 
through  the  air,  and,  hovering  on  poised  wings, 
is  caught  in  the  very  act  of  setting  one  foot 
lightly  on  the  demon’s  shoulder.  The  dragon, 
writhing,  tries  in  vain  to  lift  his  head  and  turn 
on  his  conqueror.  The  noble  serenity  of  the 
archangel’s  face,  the  perfect  grace  of  his  form 
and  attitude,  the  brilliant  panoply  of  his  celes- 
tial armour,  the  sheen  of  his  wings,  the  light 
tresses  of  his  hair  floating  outward  behind  him 
(as  of  one  who  has  traversed  space  on  wings  of 
lightning),  cannot  fail  to  be  remarked  by  every 
spectator.  This  is  Raphael  in  the  fulness  of 
his  knowledge  and  power,  yet  far  less  interest- 


242 


Paris. 


ing  to  the  lover  of  sacred  art  than  the  boy 
Raphael  of  Urbino,  the  dreamy  Raphael  of  the 
Sposalizio  at  Milan,  the  tender  Raphael  of  the 
Gran  Duca  at  Florence,  or  of  the  Belle  Jardi- 
niere in  this  same  apartment.  Notice  that  with 
the  progress  of  Renaissance  feeling  the  demon 
is  now  no  longer  a dragon,  but  a half-human 
figure,  with  horns  and  serpent  tail,  and  swarthy 
red  in  colour.  He  is  so  foreshortened  as  not 
to  take  up  any  large  space  in  the  composition, 
which  is  mainly  filled  by  the  victorious  figure 
of  the  triumphant  archangel.  The  more  clas- 
sical armour  bespeaks  the  High  Renaissance. 
The  longer  you  compare  these  two  extreme 
phases  of  Raphael’s  art,  the  more  will  you  note 
points  of  advance  between  them,  — technical 
advance,  counterbalanced  by  moral  and  spiritual 
retrogression. 

End  by  comparing  this  St.  Michael  with  Man- 
tegna’s, and  with  the  playful  Lionardesque  arch- 
angel in  the  “ Vierge  aux  balances,”  the  last  point 
in  the  degeneracy  of  a celestial  conception. 

Raphael  is  one  of  the  painters  who  can  best 
be  studied  at  the  Louvre,  with  comparatively 
little  need  for  aid  from  elsewhere. 


CHAPTER  XIL 

THE  MADONNAS  IN  THE  LOUVRE. 

PAY  a special  visit  to  the  Louvre  one  day  in 
order  to  make  a detailed  study  of  Ma- 
donnas. Before  doing  so,  however,  read  and 
digest  the  following  general  statement  of  prin- 
ciples on  the  subject : 

People  who  have  not  thrown  themselves,  or 
thought  themselves,  or  read  themselves  into 
the  mental  attitude  of  early  art,  often  complain 
that  Italian  picture  galleries,  and  museums  like 
Cluny,  are  too  full  of  merely  sacred  subjects. 
But  when  once  you  have  learnt  to  understand 
and  appreciate  them,  to  know  the  meaning 
which  lurks  in  every  part,  you  will  no  longer 
243 


244 


Paris. 


make  this  causeless  complaint.  As  well  object 
to  Greek  art  that  it  represents  little  save  the 
personages  of  Greek  mythology.  As  a mat- 
ter of  fact,  though  the  Louvre  contains  a fair 
number  of  Madonnas,  it  does  not  embrace  a 
sufficient  number  to  give  a perfectly  clear  con- 
ception of  the  varieties  of  type  and  the  de- 
velopment of  the  subject,  — not  so  good  a series 
in  many  respects  as  the  National  Gallery,  though 
it  is  particularly  well  adapted  for  the  study  of 
certain  special  groups,  particularly  the  Lionar- 
desque-Lombard  development. 

The  simplest  type  of  Madonna  is  that  where 
Our  Lady  appears  alone  with  the  Divine  In- 
fant. This  modification  of  the  subject  most 
often  occurs  as  a half  length,  though  sometimes 
the  Blessed  Virgin  is  so  represented  in  full 
length,  enthroned,  or  under  a canopy.  Several 
such  simple  Madonnas  occur  in  the  gallery.  In 
the  earliest  examples  here,  however,  such  as 
Cimabue’s,  and  the  cognate  altar-piece  of  the 
school  of  Giotto,  the  Madonna  is  seen  sur- 
rounded by  angelic  supporters.  This  forms  a 
second  group,  — Our  Lady  with  Angels.  Very 
early  examples  of  this  treatment  show  the 
angels  in  complete  isolation,  as  a sort  of  frame- 


The  Madonnas  in  the  Louvre.  245 

ivork.  (See  several  parallels  in  sculpture  in 
Room  VI.,  ground  floor,  at  Cluny.)  Grouping 
\s  yet  is  non-existent.  No  specimen  of  this 
rery  original  type  is  to  be  found  in  the  Louvre ; 
but  in  the  Cimabue  of  this  gallery  the  angels 
are  superimposed,  so  to  speak,  while  in  the 
Giottesque  example  close  by  an  elementary 
attempt  is  made  at  grouping  them.  In  later 
works  the  angels  are  more  and  more  naturally 
represented,  from  age  to  age,  singly  or  in  pairs, 
or  else  grouped  irregularly  on  either  side  of  Our 
Lady.  You  will  note  for  yourself  that  as  the 
Renaissance  develops,  the  nature  of  the  group- 
ing, both  of  angels  and  saints,  deviates  more 
and  more  from  the  early  strict  architectural 
symmetry. 

A slight  variant  on  the  simple  pictures  of  the 
Madonna  and  Child  are  those,  of  Florentine 
origin,  in  which  the  infant  St.  John  Baptist, 
the  patron  saint  of  the  city  of  Florence,  is 
introduced  at  play  with  the  childish  Saviour. 
This  class  — the  Madonna  and  Child,  with  St. 
John  — is  well  represented  in  the  Belle  Jardi- 
niere, and  several  other  pictures  in  the  Louvre. 

Most  often,  however,  the  Madonna  is  seen 
enthroned,  in  the  centre  of  the  altar-piece  or 


246 


Paris. 


composition,  and  surrounded  by  one,  two,  or 
three  pairs  of  saintly  personages.  The  Ma- 
donna with  Saints  thus  forms  a separate  group 
of  subjects.  These  saints,  you  will  by  this 
time  have  gathered,  are  never  arbitrarily  intro- 
duced. They  were  selected  and  commissioned, 
as  a rule,  by  the  purchaser,  and  they  are  there 
for  a good  and  sufficient  reason.  Often  the 
donor  desired  to  pay  his  devotion  in  this  fash- 
ion to  his  own  personal  patron ; often  to  the 
patron  of  his  town  or  village,  of  the  church  in 
which  the  picture  was  to  be  deposited,  or  of  his 
family  or  relations.  Frequently,  again,  the  pic- 
ture was  a votive  offering,  as  against  plague  or 
other  dreaded  calamity ; in  which  case  it  is 
apt  to  contain  figures  of  the  great  plague  saints, 
Roch  and  Sebastian.  Ignorant  people  often 
object  that  such  sets  of  saints  are  not  contem- 
porary. They  forget  that  this  is  the  Enthroned 
Madonna,  and  that  the  action  takes  place  in  the 
Celestial  City,  where  the  saints  surround  the 
throne  of  Our  Lady. 

As  regards  grouping,  in  the  earlier  altar- 
pieces  the  selected  saints  were  treated  in  com- 
plete isolation.  Most  often  the  Madonna  and 
Child  occupy  in  such  cases  a central  panel. 


The  Madonnas  in  the  Louvre.  247 

under  its  own  canopy,  while  the  saints  are 
each  enclosed  in  a separate  little  alcove  or 
gilded  tabernacle.  Reminiscences  of  this  usage 
linger  long  in  Italy.  Later  on,  as  art  pro- 
gressed, painters  began  to  feel  the  stiffness  of 
such  an  arrangement ; they  placed  the  attend- 
ant saints  at  first  in  regularly  disposed  pairs  on 
either  side  the  throne,  and  afterward  in  some- 
thing approaching  a set  composition.  With  the 
High  Renaissance,  the  various  figures,  instead 
of  occupying  mere  posts  round  the  seat  of  Our 
Lady,  and  gazing  at  her  in  adoration,  began  to 
indulge  in  conversation  with  one  another,  or 
to  take  part  in  some  more  or  less  animated  and 
natural  action.  This  method  of  arrangement, 
which  culminates  for  the  Florentine  school  in 
Fra  Bartolommeo,  degenerates  with  the  Deca- 
dence into  confused  and  muddled  groups,  with 
scarcely  a trace  of  symbols  — groups  of  well- 
draped  models,  in  which  it  is  impossible  to  see 
any  sacred  significance.  The  Florentine  painters 
preferred,  as  a rule,  such  rather  complex  group- 
ing ; the  Venetians,  influenced  in  great  part  by 
the  severer  taste  of  Giorgone  and  of  Titian, 
usually  show  a more  simple  arrangement. 

Any  one  of  these  various  types  of  Madonna 


248 


Paris. 


may  also  be  modified  by  the  introduction  of  a 
kneeling  donor.  Thus,  Van  Eyck’s  glowing 
picture  of  the  Chancellor  Rollin  adoring  Our 
Lady  is  an  example  of  the  simple  Madonna  and 
Child,  enthroned,  accompanied  by  the  donor ; 
though,  in  this  case,  the  composition  is  further 
slightly  enriched  by  the  dainty  little  floating 
angel  in  the  background,  who  places  an  ex- 
quisitely jewelled  crown  of  the  finest  Flemish 
workmanship  on  the  head  of  the  Virgin.  The 
Madonna  della  Vittoria,  again,  which  we  have 
so  fully  considered,  is  essentially  a Madonna 
and  Saints,  with  the  kneeling  donor.  In  very 
early  pictures,  you  will  observe  that  the  donors 
are  often  painted  grotesquely  small,  while  Our 
Lady  and  the  saints  are  of  relatively  superhuman 
stature,  to  mark  their  superiority  as  heavenly  per- 
sonages. In  later  works,  this  absurdity  dies  out, 
and  the  figure  and  face  of  the  donor  become  one 
of  the  recognised  excuses  for  early  portrait  paint- 
ing. Indeed,  portraiture  took  its  rise  for  the 
modern  world  from  such  kneeling  figures. 

Another  point  of  view  from  which  it  is  in- 
teresting to  compare  these  various  Madonnas 
is  that  of  the  nationality  or  school  of  art  to 
which  they  belong.  The  early  Italian  repre- 


The  Madonnas  in  the  Louvre.  249 

sentations  of  Our  Lady  are  usually  more  or 
less  girlish  in  appearance,  refined  in  features, 
and  comparatively  simple  in  dress  and  decora- 
tion. The  Flemish  type  is  peculiarly  insipid, 
one  might  often  say,  even  with  great  artists, 
inane  and  meaningless ; in  the  hands  of  minor 
painters,  it  becomes  positively  wooden.  The 
face  here  is  long  and  rather  thin  ; the  features 
peaky.  The  Madonna  of  Flemish  art,  indeed, 
like  the  Christ  of  all  art,  is  a sacred  type  which 
is  seldom  varied.  Early  French  Madonnas,  once 
more,  are  regal  and  ladylike,  sometimes  even 
courtly.  They  wear  crowns  as  queens,  and  are 
better  observed  in  the  Louvre  in  sculpture  than 
in  painting.  This  gallery  hardly  suffices  to  note 
in  full  the  peculiarities  of  the  sub-types  in  vari- 
ous Italian  schools  ; but  they  may  still  be  recog- 
nised. Of  these,  the  Florentine  are  spiritual, 
delicate,  and  strongly  ideal ; the  Lombard,  in- 
tellectual, like  well-read  ladies  ; the  Venetian, 
stately  and  matronly  oligarchical  mothers,  de- 
generating later  into  the  mere  aristocratic  nobil- 
ity, soulless  and  materialised,  of  Titian  and  his 
followers.  The  Umbrians  and  Sienese  are  dis- 
tinguished for  the  most  part  by  their  pure  and 
saintly  air  of  fervent  piety. 


2^0 


Paris. 


Do  not  confound  with  any  of  these  devo- 
tional Madonnas,  with  or  without  select  groups 
of  saints,  various  other  classes  of  picture  which 
somewhat  resemble  them.  Each  of  these  has 
in  early  art  its  own  proper  convention  and  treat- 
ment : it  was  a recognised  species.  A Holy 
Family,  for  example,  consists,  as  a rule,  of  a 
Madonna,  the  infant  Christ,  St.  Joseph,  St. 
Elizabeth,  and  the  child  Baptist.  Like  the 
other  subjects,  it  is  sometimes  complicated  by 
the  addition  of  selected  saints  as  spectators  or 
assessors.  A Coronation  of  the  Virgin,  again, 
is  an  entirely  celestial  scene,  taking  place  in  the 
calm  of  the  heavenly  regions.  The  Madonna 
is  usually  crowned  by  her  Son,  but  sometimes 
by  angels  or  by  the  Eternal  Father.  (Several 
interesting  examples  of  this,  for  comparison, 
occur  in  Room  VI.,  ground  floor,  at  Cluny.) 
Nativities,  of  course,  belong  rather  to  the 
group  of  pictorial  histories,  such  as  the  Life 
of  Christ,  or  the  Seven  Joys  of  Mary.  The 
sculptures  in  the  ambulatory  at  Notre-Dame 
give  one  a good  idea  of  such  continuous 
histories. 

One  interesting  set  of  Madonnas,  largely  ex- 
emplified here,  to  take  a particular  example,  is 


The  Madonnas  in  the  Louvre.  251 

the  later  Lombard  type  of  the  school  of  Lio- 
nardo.  This  type,  well  distinguished  by  its 
regular  oval  features,  its  gentle  smile  of  inner 
happiness,  and  its  peculiar  waving  hair  with 
wisps  over  the  shoulders,  is  usually  regarded  as 
essentially  belonging  to  Lionardo  himself  and 
his  immediate  followers.  It  is  foreshadowed, 
however,  by  Foppa,  Borgognone,  and  other  early 
Lombard  painters,  specimens  of  whom  are  not 
numerous  in  the  Louvre.  Lionardo,  when  he 
came  to  Milan  to  Ludovico  Sforza,  adopted  this 
local  type,  which  he  transfused  with  Florentine 
grace  and  with  his  own  peculiar  subdued  smile, 
as  one  sees  it  already  in  the  Mona  Lisa.  From 
Lionardo,  again,  it  was  taken,  with  more  or  less 
success,  by  his  immediate  pupils,  Beltraffio,  So- 
lario,  Cesare  di  Sesto,  and  others,  as  well  as  by 
Luini,  who  was  not  a pupil  of  Lionardo  himself, 
but  who  was  deeply  influenced  by  the  master’s 
methods  and  his  works  in  Milan.  The  number 
of  these  Lionardesque  Madonnas  in  the  Louvre 
is  exceptionally  great,  while  Lionardo  himself 
can  here  be  better  estimated  than  in  Italy.  No- 
where else,  perhaps,  save  possibly  at  Milan,  can 
this  type  as  a whole  be  compared  by  the  stu- 
dent to  so  great  advantage. 


252 


Paris. 


While  the  Madonna  herself  usually  occupies 
the  central  panel  of  votive  pictures,  it  some- 
times happens  that  some  other  saint  is,  on  his 
own  altar-piece,  similarly  enthroned  ; and  in  that 
case  he  is  flanked  by  brother  saints,  often  more 
important  in  themselves,  but  then  and  there 
subordinated  to  him.  This  special  honour  under 
special  circumstances  is  well  seen  in  the  case  of 
the  St.  Lawrence  at  the  far  end  of  the  Salle  des 
Primitifs.  Particular  local  saints  often  thus  re- 
ceive what  might  otherwise  appear  undue  recog- 
nition. For  the  same  reason,  minor  saints  in 
the  group  surrounding  a Madonna  often  obtain 
local  brevet-rank  (if  I may  be  allowed  the  simile) 
over  others  of  far  greater  general  dignity,  which 
they  could  not  lay  claim  to  in  any  other  connec- 
tion. Thus,  in  the  Nativity  by  Giulio  Romano, 
to  which  I called  attention  in  connection  with 
Mantegna’s  Madonna,  St.  Longinus  (with  his 
crystal  vase)  stood  on  Our  Lady’s  right,  while 
St.  John  was  relegated  to  her  left,  — a subordi- 
nation of  the  greater  to  the  lesser  saint  which 
would  only  be  possible  in  a chapel  actually  dedi- 
cated to  St.  Longinus,  and  where  he  receives 
peculiar  honour.  I now  propose  to  escort  you 
round  a few  rooms  of  the  Louvre,  again  calling 


The  Madonnas  in  the  Louvre.  253 

attention  very  briefly,  from  this  point  of  view, 
to  certain  special  Madonna  features  only. 

Now,  go  to  the  Louvre  and  test  these  re- 
marks. Begin  at  the  far  end  of  the  Salle  des 
Primitifs.  The  Cimabue  and  the  Giottesque  of 
the  Madonna  and  Angels  we  have  already  con- 
sidered. Compare  them  again  from  our  present 
standpoint.  Close  to  them  on  the  right,  be- 
neath the  large  Giotto  of  St.  Francis,  are  two 
pretty  little  Madonnas,  1620  (I  now  give  the 
large  upper  numbers  alone)  and  1667.  The  first 
of  these  exhibits  below  two  tiny  votaries,  — the 
small-sized  donors,  — a Franciscan  monk  and  a 
Dominican  nun,  with  the  robes  of  their  orders ; 
the  centre  consists  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  Cath- 
erine, as  the  attendant  saints  on  the  large 
Enthroned  Virgin.  The  second  has  the  choir 
of  angels,  both  surrounding  and  beneath  the 
throne,  with  St.  Peter  (keys),  St.  Paul  (sword), 
St.  John  Baptist  (camel-hair),  and  St.  Stephen 
or  St.  Vincent  (robed  as  deacon).  St.  Peter 
and  St.  Paul  in  1625  are  similar  figures,  once 
surrounding  a central  panel,  with  the  Madonna, 
now  missing.  Compare  with  this  1666,  with 
its  Enthroned  Madonna  of  the  early  almond- 
eyed  type,  its  group  of  angels  round  the  throne, 


254 


Paris. 


and  its  two  saints  at  the  base,  John  Baptist  and 
Peter.  Observe  that  the  types  of  these  also  can 
be  recognised.  Each  saint  has  regular  features 
of  his  own,  which  you  can  learn  to  know  quite 
as  well  as  the  symbols. 

Higher  up,  1664,  another  Madonna  and  Child, 
Enthroned,  with  similar  angels,  but  with  the 
addition  of  the  figure  of  St.  Catherine  of  Alex- 
andria, on  whose  finger  the  Christ  is  placing  a 
ring.  This  is  an  early  intermediate  type  of  the 
Marriage  of  St.  Catherine,  hardly  yet  character- 
ised. Most  of  these  Madonnas  have  the  charac- 
teristic softness  and  peculiar  cast  of  countenance 
of  the  early  school  of  Siena. 

1279,  de  Fabriano,  is  almost  a simple 

Madonna  and  Child,  but  for  the  addition  of  the 
smaller  donor,  Pandolfo  Malatesta,  Lord  of  Ri- 
mini. This  picture  shows  the  bland  and  round- 
faced  Umbrian  type,  which  is  closely  allied  to 
that  of  Siena.  Both  schools  are  remarkable  for 
the  fervent  pietism  which  blossomed  out  in  full 
in  St.  Francis  of  Assisi  and  St.  Catherine  of 
Siena. 

In  the  beautiful  Periigino  above,  1564,  note 
the  complete  transformation  in  the  later  Um- 
brian school  of  the  adoring  angels  into  a grace- 


The  Madonnas  in  the  Louvre.  2^5 

ful  pair,  and  the  beginning  of  an  attempt  to 
group  in  comparatively  natural  attitudes  the 
accompanying  saints,  Rose  and  Catherine. 

This  feature  is  still  more  marked  in  1565, 
also  Perugino  (but  later),  where  the  Baptist  and 
St.  Catherine,  well  composed,  are  thrown  into 
the  background  behind  the  Madonna.  Observe 
that  while  earlier  piety  drapes  the  Child,  in 
Gentile,  and  still  more  in  Perugino,  the  growing 
love  for  the  nude  begins  to  exhibit  itself.  A 
study  of  halos  is  also  interesting. 

On  the  opposite  or  right  side,  1315  is  a good 
example  of  the  simple  Enthroned  Madonna  of 
the  school  of  Giotto.  Compare  it  with  that 
next  it,  1316,  where  the  angels  are  grouped 
with  some  attempt  at  composition. 

1397,  hy  Neri  di  Bicci^  is  also  a characteristic 
half-length  simple  Madonna,  with  the  Child  still 
draped  after  the  earlier  fashion  affected  by  this 
belated  follower  of  Giottesque  models. 

1345,  beneath  it,  by  Filippo  Lippi  or  his 
school,  shows  a characteristic  type  of  features 
which  this  pairter  introduced,  — a modification 
of  the  older  Florentine  ideal : the  face  is  said 
to  be  that  of  his  model,  Lucrezia  Buti,  the  nun 
with  whom  he  eloped,  and  whom  he  was  finally 


Paris. 


256 

permitted  to  marry.  The  angels  in  the  back- 
ground show  well  the  rapid  advance  in  the  treat- 
ment of  these  accessories.  Observe,  as  you 
pass,  their  Florentine  lilies.  Their  features 
are  like  those  of  the  Medici  children,  as  seen 
in  numerous  works  at  Florence. 

In  1295,  by  Botticelli^  we  get  that  individual 
painter’s  peculiar  mystical  and  somewhat  lan- 
guid type,  while  the  angels  are  again  like 
Medici  portraits.  Study  these  Botticellis  for 
his  artistic  personality. 

1344,  by  Filippo  Lippi^  next  to  it,  exhibits 
Filippo’s  very  rounded  faces,  both  in  Madonna 
and  angels.  The  type  is  more  human.  Here, 
again,  we  have  the  Florentine  lily  borne  by  the 
adoring  choir,  whose  position  should  be  com- 
pared as  a faint  lingering  reminiscence  of  that 
in  the  Giottesques  and  the  great  Cimabue. 
Observe,  at  the  same  time,  the  division  of  the 
painting  as  a whole  into  three  false  compart- 
ments, a suggestion  from  the  earlier  type  of 
altar-piece.  At  the  Madonna’s  feet  are  two 
adoring  saints,  difficult  to  identify,  — Florentine 
and  local,  probably.  Do  not  fail  to  gaze  close 
at  the  characteristic  baby  cherubs,  perhaps 
Lucrezia’s.  This  picture  should  be  compared 


BOTTICELLI.  — MADONNA  (1295). 


0\m  . 


The  Madonnas  in  the  Louvre.  257 

in  all  its  details  with  earlier  pictures  of  angel 
choirs.  It  is  a lovely  work.  Its  delicate  paint- 
ing is  strongly  characteristic.  The  relief  of  the 
faces  should  be  specially  noted. 

The  Botticelli  next  it,  1296,  introduces  us  to 
the  infant  St.  John  of  Florence,  whom  we  meet 
again  in  the  Belle  Jardiniere  of  Raphael's  Flor- 
entine period.  Another  young  St.  John  close 
by  is  full  of  suggestions  of  Donatello  in  the 
sculpture  gallery. 

493,  above  the  last  but  one,  is  a very  char- 
acteristic Madonna  of  the  Florentine  school, 
closely  resembling  the  type  of  Botticelli.  This 
once  more  is  a simple  Madonna  and  Child, 
without  accessories. 

In  1662,  the  sanctity  has  almost  disappeared, 
and  we  get  scarcely  more  than  a purely  human 
mother  and  baby. 

On  the  opposite  side,  4573,  is  a half-length 
by  Perugino^  the  affected  pose  of  whose  neck, 
and  the  character  of  whose  face  you  will  now 
recognise ; the  Madonna  floats  in  an  almond- 
shaped  glory  of  cherubs,  which  indicates  her 
ascent  to  heaven.  Several  similar  objects  exist 
in  sculpture  at  Cluny. 

1 540,  Lo  Spagnuy  is  again  a simple  half-length 


Paris. 


258 

Madonna,  whose  purely  Umbrian  type  recalls 
both  Perugino  and  the  earlier  examples.  Com- 
pare the  Peruginos,  Raphaels,  and  Lo  Spagnas 
here,  and  form  from  them  some  conception  of 
the  Umbrian  ideal. 

Of  the  Bellmi  beside  it  I have  already  spoken 
sufficiently.  Observe,  here,  the  absolute  nudity 
of  the  Child,  and  the  reduction  of  the  angels 
to  sweet  little  cherub  heads  among  clouds  in 
the  background.  The  graceful  arrangement 
of  the  attendant  saints  strikes  a Bellini  key- 
note : it  was  followed  in  later  developments  of 
this  subject  by  Venetian  painters.  Such  half- 
lengths  are  common  among  the  school  of  Bellini. 

The  treatment  by  Cimay  1259,  introducing 
landscape,  and  the  peculiarly  high  Venetian 
throne,  is  one  of  a sort  also  very  frequent  for 
full-length  Madonnas  at  Venice  and  in  the 
Venetian  territory.  The  grouping  of  the  saints, 
also,  is  here  transitional.  Compare  it  with  the 
exquisite  Lorenzo  de  Credi  opposite. 

On  the  opposite  wall,  1367,  by  Mahiardi, 
shows  us  a Florentine  face,  the  St.  John  of 
Florence,  and  the  typical  sweet-faced  Floren- 
tine angels,  holding  lilies  ; in  the  background,  a 
view  of  the  city. 


The  Madonnas  in  the  Louvre.  259 

Cosmio  Rosseli'sy  1482,  has  again  the  almond- 
shaped  glory  of  cherubs,  the  nude  Child,  the 
typical  Florentine  face  (which  you  may  now 
recognise),  and  also  characteristic  Florentine 
angels ; but  its  St.  Bernard  and  the  Magdalen 
are  introduced  on  clouds  after  a somewhat  novel 
fashion.  The  St.  Bernard  is  writing  down  his 
vision  of  the  Madonna. 

I have  already  called  attention  to  the  beauti- 
ful grouping  in  1263,  Lorenzo  di  Credi ; but 
observe  now  that  the  exquisite  attendant  saints, 
almost  statuesque  in  their  clear-cut  isolation, 
still  show  a reminiscence  of  the  earlier  arrange- 
ment in  tabernacles  by  the  Renaissance  arch- 
ways at  their  back,  combined  with  the  niche 
in  which  the  Madonna  is  enthroned.  Only  by 
the  light  of  Giottesque  examples  can  we  under- 
stand the  composition  of  this  glorious  picture. 
We  do  not  know  the  circumstances  under  which 
it  was  produced  : but  St.  Julian  was  the  patron 
saint  of  Rimini,  as  St.  Nicolas  was  of  Bari. 
Both  these  towns  were  great  Adriatic  ports, 
and  I believe  it  was  painted  for  a merchant  of 
the  neighbourhood. 

Do  not  be  content  in  any  of  these  cases  with 
observing  merely  the  points  to  which  I call 


26o 


Paris. 


definite  attention ; try  to  compare  each  work 
throughout  in  all  its  details  with  others  like  it. 
The  evolution  of  the  grouping,  in  fact,  will  give 
you  endless  hints  as  to  the  history  and  develop- 
ment of  the  art  of  composition.  This  picture 
of  Lorenzo's  may  be  regarded  as  exemplifying 
the  finest  stage  in  such  works  : those  of  later 
date  are  less  pure  and  severe,  — show  a tend- 
ency to  confusion. 

This  will  be  quite  enough  to  occupy  you  for 
one  day.  Another  morning,  proceed  into  the 
Long  Gallery,  where  you  can  similarly  compare 
the  High  Renaissance  types  and  Lionardesque 
Madonnas  of  the  later  school  of  Lombardy. 

In  the  little  Madonna  of  the  school  of  Fran- 
cia,  1437,  observe  the  position  of  the  attendant 
saint,  the  new  type  of  face  proper  to  the  art  of 
Bologna,  and  the  way  in  which,  as  often,  the 
infant  Christ  is  poised  on  a parapet. 

1553^  by  Garofalo^  shows  a later  and  softer 
development  of  a somewhat  similar  (Ferrarese) 
type ; but  the  Child,  instead  of  blessing  with 
his  two  fingers  as  in  most  early  cases,  here  dis- 
plays the  grqwing  Renaissance  love  of  variety 
and  novelty : he  is  asleep  in  his  cradle.  OF 
serve  his  attitude  in  this  and  other  instances. 


BORGOGNONE.  — PRESENTATION, 


; •'  :■  ^ . •; 

. ,i, 

fV:  . ■:  , 


OF  THE 


f 


t -ESSITr  W IlilMis 


The  Madonnas  in  the  Louvre.  261 

With  all  these  changes,  however,  you  cannot 
fail  to  be  struck  by  the  fairly  constant  persist- 
ence of  the  red  tunic  and  the  blue  mantle  of  the 
Madonna,  as  well  as  by  the  nature  of  her  head- 
dress in  each  great  school.  Never  fail  to  observe 
the  characteristic  head-dresses  in  the  various 
schools  of  Italian  art.  They  will  help  you,  like 
the  faces,  to  form  types  for  comparison. 

1353,  by  Luini^  introduces  us  at  once  to  the 
Lombard-Lionardesque  class  of  face  and  hair. 
Compare  it  closely  with  the  Madonnas  in  the 
frescoes  in  the  Salle  Duchatel.  The  introduc- 
tion of  Joseph  makes  this  in  essence  a Holy 
Family.  Note  Luini’s  development  of  the  halo 
of  Christ,  cruciform  in  early  cases,  or  composed 
of  a cross  inscribed  in  a circle,  into  a cross-like 
arrangement  of  rays  of  light. 

The  two  works  by  Marco  da  Oggiono^  close 
by,  betray  similar  types,  far  inferior  to  Luini’s, 
with  further  loss  of  primitive  reverence. 

In  1 18 1,  Borgognone  s Presentation,  an  earlier 
Lombard  work,  the  Madonna  faintly  foreshadows 
this  Lionardesque  type,  though  Lionardesque 
features  are  far  less  markedly  present  than 
in  many  other  examples  by  this  silvery  painter. 

1530,  by  Solario,  the  famous  Madonna  of  the 


262 


Paris. 


Green  Cushion,  may  be  compared  with  those 
by  Marco  da  Oggiono,  which  it  resembles  in 
motive. 

In  1599,  La  Vierge  aux  Rochers,  we  get 
Lionardo  s own  personal  type,  which  is  also 
seen  in  the  Madonna  and  St.  Anne  of  the 
Salon  Carre.  Compare  all  these  with  the  Mona 
Lisa,  for  touch  and  spirit.  Then  continue  your 
examination  through  the  rest  of  this  room 
with  the  Lionardesque  types : after  which,  turn 
to  the  school  of  Venice,  beyond  them,  and  note 
the  evolution  of  the  Titianesque  types  from  the 
primitive  Venetians. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  same  room, 
observe,  once  more,  how  Fra  Bartolommeo  and 
his  school  arranged  their  extremely  complex 
groups  of  saints  into  a composition  resembling 
a state  ceremonial.  From  this  point  on  in  the 
evolution  of  the  Santa  Conversazione  you  will 
see  that  the  arrangement  of  the  saints  entirely 
loses  all  sense  of  sacred  meaning.  Artificial 
ecstasies  replace  natural  piety.  An  attempt  to 
be  artistic,  and  a desire  to  introduce  a mode  of 
treatment  fitter  for  the  theatre  than  for  the 
church,  at  last  entirely  obscure  the  original 
meaning  of  these  groups,  which  are  so  full  of 


LIONARDO  DA  VINCI.  — LA  VIERGE  AUX  ROCHERS. 


The  Madonnas  in  the  Louvre.  263 

ardour  in  Fra  Angelico,  so  full  of  stateliness  in 
Lorenzo  di  Credi. 

Another  day  may  well  be  devoted  to  the 
quaintly  girlish  Madonnas  of  the  Flemish 
school.  Begin  by  observing  carefully  the  Van 
Eyck  of  the  Salon  Carre,  which  is  a Madonna 
with  donor,  and  the  Memling  of  the  Salle 
Duchatel,  which  is  a Madonna  with  donors,  not 
one  with  saints ; the  patrons  here  being  merely 
brought  in  to  introduce  the  votaries  to  Our 
Lady’s  notice.  From  these  proceed  to  the 
early  Flemish  section  of  the  Long  Gallery,  and 
note  in  detail  the  evolution  of  the  type  in  later 
pictures.  I need  hardly  call  attention  to  the 
Flemish  love  for  crowns,  jewelry,  and  costly 
adjuncts.  These  reflect  the  wealthy  burgher 
life  of  Bruges,  Ghent,  and  Antwerp.  The 
translucent  colour  of  the  Flemish  painters, 
too,  lends  itself  well  to  these  decorative  ele- 
ments. 

The  best  example  of  an  early  French  Ma- 
donna is  the  beautiful  one  which  hangs  by  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  door  in  the  Salon  Carre, 
leading  into  the  Salle  Duchatel.  This  exquisite 
figure,  a true  masterpiece  of  its  school,  should 
be  compared  with  later  French  developments 


Paris. 


264 

in  painting,  as  well  as  with  the  admirable  collec- 
tion of  plastic  works  of  this  school  in  the  Renais- 
sance sculpture  gallery  down-stairs.  With  these 
may  also  be  mentioned,  as  a typical  French 
example,  the  famous  miracle-working  Notre- 
Dame-de-Paris,  a statue  of  the  thirteenth  or  four- 
teenth century,  which  stands  under  a canopy 
against  the  pillar  by  the  entrance  to  the  choir 
in  the  south  transept  of  Notre-Dame,  and  is 
popularly  regarded  as  the  statue  of  Our  Lady  to 
which  the  church  is  dedicated.  The  close  con- 
nection between  royalty  and  religion  in  France, 
well  exemplified  in  the  number  of  saints  of  the 
royal  house  at  St.  Germain  hAuxerrois,  St. 
Germain-des-Pres,  St.  Denis,  and  elsewhere,  is 
markedly  exhibited  in  the  extremely  regal  and 
high-bred  character  always  given  to  French 
Madonnas.  The  Florentine,  which  form  in  this 
respect  the  greatest  contrast,  are  often  envisaged 
as  idealised  peasants  girls,  full  of  soul  and  fer- 
vour, but  by  no  means  exalted. 

Finally,  note  as  far  as  possible  with  the  few 
materials  in  this  collection,  the  round-faced, 
placid  type  of  the  German  Madonna,  — placid 
when  at  rest,  though  contorted  (as  the  Mater 
Dolorosa)  with  exaggerated  anguish.  The  fine 


The  Madonnas  in  the  Louvre.  265 


wooden  statue  in  the  room  of  the  Limoges 
enamels  at  Cluny  will  help  to  strike  the  key- 
note for  this  somewhat  domestic  national  ideal. 
The  early  German  Madonna  is  as  often  as  not 
just  a glorified  housewife. 


CHAPTER  XIIL 


HOW  TO  STUDY  THE  PAINTINGS  IN  THE 
LOUVRE. 

Many  other  subjects  for  similar  compara- 
tive treatment  may  be  found  in  the 
Louvre.  Pick  out  for  yourself  a special  theme, 
such  as,  for  example,  the  Adoration  of  the 
Magi,  the  Nativity,  the  Presentation  in  the 
Temple,,  or  the  Agony  in  the  Garden,  and  try 
to  follow  it  out  through  various  examples. 
Choose  also  a saint  or  two,  and  pursue  them 
steadily  through  their  evolution.  Do  not  think 
that  to  examine  paintings  in  this  way  is  to  be 
absorbed  by  the  subject  rather  than  by  the  art 
of  the  painter.  Only  superficial  observers  fall 
into  this  error.  You  will  find  on  the  contrary 
that  the  characteristics  of  each  school  and  of 
each  artist  can  best  be  discovered  and  observed 
by  watching  how  each  modifies  or  alters  pre- 
existing and  conventional  conceptions.  In  order 

266 


How  to  Study  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  267 

to  thoroughly  understand  any  early  picture,  you 
must  look  at  it  first  as  a representation  of  such 
and  such  a given  subject,  for  which  a relatively 
fixed  and  conventional  set  of  figures  or  acces- 
sories was  prescribed  by  tradition.  The  num- 
ber and  minuteness  of  the  prescribed  accessories 
will  grow  upon  you  as  you  watch  them.  You 
have  then  to  observe  how  each  school  as  a whole 
treats  such  works  ; what  feeling  it  introduces, 
toward  what  sort  of  modification  in  style  or 
tone  it  usually  tends.  Next,  you  must  consider 
it  relatively  to  its  age,  as  exemplifying  a particu- 
lar stage  in  the  progress  of  the  science  and  art 
of  painting.  Last  of  all  you  must  carefully 
estimate  what  peculiarities  are  due  to  the  taste, 
the  temperament,  the  hand,  and  the  technique 
of  the  individual  artist.  For  example,  Gerard 
David’s  Marriage  at  Cana  is  thoroughly  Flemish 
in  all  its  details;  while  Paola  Veronese’s  is 
thoroughly  Venetian.  You  may  notice  the 
Flemish  and  Venetian  hand,  not  merely  in  the 
figures  and  the  composition  as  a whole,  but  even 
in  the  extraordinarily  divergent  treatment  of 
such  details  as  the  jars  in  the  foreground,  which 
for  David  are  painted  with  Flemish  daintiness 
of  detail,  though  coarse  and  rough  in  them* 


268 


Paris. 


selves ; while  Veronese  approaches  them  with 
Venetian  wealth  of  Renaissance  fancy,  both  in 
decoration  and  handling.  But  the  David,  again, 
is  not  merely  Flemish : it  has  the  distinctive 
marks  of  that  particular  Fleming,  and  should  be 
compared  with  his  lovely  portrait  of  a kneeling 
donor  with  his  three  patron  saints  in  the  National 
Gallery ; while  the  Veronese  is  noticeable  for 
the  voluptuousness,  the  over-richness,  the  dasl^ 
and  spirit,  of  that  large,  free  master  of  the  full 
Renaissance,  the  Rubens  by  comparison  among 
the  Venetians  of  his  time.  So,  too,  if  you  study 
attentively  the  Botticellis  in  the  Salle  des  Primi- 
tifs,  you  can  notice  a close  similarity  of  type  in 
many  of  his  faces  with  the  types  in  certain  pic- 
tures by  Filippo  Lippi,  and  still  more  in  those 
by  other  Florentines  of  the  same  period ; while 
you  are  yet  even  more  distinctly  struck  by  the 
intense  individuality  and  refined  spiritual  feeling 
of  this  very  original  and  soulful  master. 

In  order  to  study  the  Louvre  aright,  in  short, 
you  must  be  continually  comparing.  In  a word, 
regard  each  work,  first,  as  a representation  of 
such  and  such  a subject,  falling  into  its  proper 
place  in  the  evolution  of  its  series ; second,  as 
belonging  to  such  and  such  a school  or  national- 


How  to  Study  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  269 

ity  ; third,  as  representing  such  and  such  an  age 
in  the  historical  evolution  of  the  art  of  painting ; 
fourth,  as  exhibiting  the  individuality,  the  style, 
the  characteristics,  the  technique,  and  the  pecul- 
iar touch  of  such  and  such  an  individual  painter. 
Only  thus  can  you  study  art  aright  in  this  or 
any  other  gallery. 

Try  this  method  on  Van  Eyck’s  Madonna, 
on  Titian’s  Entombment,  on  Sebastiano  del 
Piombo’s  Visitation,  and  on  Memling’s  little 
John  Baptist,  which  is  one  attendant  saint  from 
a triptych  whose  Madonna  is  missing. 

Some  other  time,  consider  in  detail  the  two 
delicately  luminous  frescoes  by  Luini,  in  the 
Salle  Duchatel.  Before  doing  so,  however, 
read  on  the  spot  the  following  remarks. 

I have  spoken  here  for  the  most  part  from 
the  point  of  view  of  those  visitors  who  have  not 
travelled  much  in  Italy  or  the  Low  Countries. 
And,  as  a matter  of  fact,  the  Louvre  is  the  first 
great  picture  gallery  on  the  Continent  visited 
by  nine  out  of  ten  English  or  Americans.  In 
reality,  however,  since  this  collection  contains 
several  isolated  masterpieces  of  all  the  great 
schools,  together  with  several  unconnected  pic- 
tures of  minor  artists,  it  requires,  almost  more 


270 


Paris. 


than  any  other  great  gallery,  to  be  seen  by  the 
light  of  information  acquired  elsewhere.  It 
ought,  therefore,  to  be  examined  after,  as  well 
as,  and  even  more  than,  before  visits  to  other 
countries.  This  collection,  for  example,  includes 
works  by  Van  Eyck,  by  Memling,  by  Giotto,  by 
Fra  Angelico.  But  Van  Eyck  can  only  be  fully 
understood  by  those  who  have  visited  Ghent ; 
Memling  can  only  be  fully  understood  by  those 
who  have  visited  Bruges ; it  is  impossible  really 
to  comprehend  Giotto  unless  you  have  seen  his 
great  series  of  frescoes  in  the  Madonna  deir 
Arena  at  Padua ; it  is  impossible  really  to  com- 
prehend Fra  Angelico  unless  you  have  examined 
the  saintly  and  ecstatic  works  at  San  Marco  in 
Florence.  Thus  you  have  to  bear  in  mind  that 
the  works  in  the  Louvre  are  only  stray  examples 
of  masters  and  schools,  with  whom  an  adequate 
acquaintance  must  be  obtained  elsewhere.  It 
was  for  this  reason  that  I began  these  notes 
with  special  examples  of  Mantegna,  because  he 
is  one  of  the  very  few  artists,  other  than  French, 
of  whom  you  can  form  some  tolerably  fair  con- 
ception in  Paris  alone,  to  be  pieced  out  after- 
ward by  observation  in  Italy. 

Furthermore,  it  must  be  recollected  that  many 


How  to  Study  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  271 

artists  can  only  be  seen  to  advantage  under  the 
conditions  amid  which  their  works  were  pro- 
duced. This  is  especially  the  case  with  the 
Italian  painters  of  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth 
centuries.  They  were  a school  of  fresco-paint- 
ers. Their  altar-pieces  and  other  separate  panels 
give  but  a very  inadequate  idea  of  their  powers, 
and  especially  of  their  composition.  Giotto  and 
Fra  Angelico,  in  particular,  cannot  possibly  be 
estimated  aright  by  any  of  their  works  to  be 
seen  north  of  the  Alps.  The  altar-pieces, 
being  more  especially  sacred  in  character,  were 
relatively  very  fixed  in  type : they  allowed  of 
less  variation,  less  incident,  less  action,  than 
the  histories  of  saints,  which  frequently  form  the 
subjects  of  frescoes.  You  can  judge  of  this  to 
a slight  extent  in  the  Louvre  itself,  by  compar- 
ing the  Madonnas  at  the  far  end  of  the  Salle  des 
Primitifs  with  Giotto’s  St.  Francis,  which  hangs 
by : for  the  Madonna  was  the  most  sacred  and 
therefore  the  most  bound  by  custom  of  any 
type.  You  will  at  once  observe  how  much 
freer  and  more  naturalistic  is  the  treatment  in 
the  episode  of  the  stigmata  than  in  the  com- 
paratively wooden  figures  of  Our  Lady  by  which 
it  is  surrounded.  Still  more  is  this  the  case 


Paris. 


272 

when  we  come  to  compare  any  of  these  altar- 
pieces  with  frescoes  such  as  those  of  the  Arena 
at  Padua,  or  Santa  Croce  at  Florence.  Simi- 
larly with  Fra  Angelico : the  little  crowded 
works  which  he  produced  as  altar-pieces  give 
a totally  different  conception  of  his  character 
and  powers  than  that  which  we  derive  from  the 
large  and  relatively  spacious  frescoes  at  San 
Marco,  or  in  Pope  Nicolas’s  Chapel  at  the  Vati- 
can. In  such  works,  we  see  him  expand  into  a 
totally  different  manner.  Now  frescoes,  by 
their  very  nature,  cannot  easily  be  removed 
from  the  walls  of  churches  without  great  dan- 
ger. Therefore,  the  school  of  fresco-painters 
— that  is  to  say,  the  early  Italian  school  — is 
ill  represented  outside  Italy. 

Now  Luini,  though  he  belongs  to  the  six- 
teenth century,  and  though  he  produced  some 
of  his  most  beautiful  works  as  cabinet  or  panel 
pictures,  was  yet  almost  as  essentially  a painter 
in  fresco  as  Fra  Angelico  or  Ghirlandajo.  He 
can  best  be  appreciated  in  Milan  and  its  neigh- 
bourhood. And  I will  add  a few  notes  here  for 
the  benefit  of  those  who  know  Italy,  and  who 
can  recall  the  works  they  have  seen  in  that 
country.  At  the  Brera  in  Milan,  an  immense 


How  to  Study  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  273 

number  of  his  frescoes,  cut  out  from  churches, 
can  be  seen  and  compared  to  great  advantage. 
Everybody  who  has  visited  that  noble  gallery 
must  recall  at  least  the  exquisite  figure  of  St. 
Catherine  placed  in  her  sarcophagus  by  angels, 
as  well  as  the  lovely  Madonna  with  St.  Antony 
and  St.  Barbara,  where  the  face  and  beard  of 
the  aged  anchorite  somewhat  recall  the  treat- 
ment of  the  old  bearded  king  in  the  Adoration 
of  the  Magi  in  this  gallery.  Still  better  can 
Luini’s  work  be  understood  by  those  who  know 
the  Sanctuary  at  Saronno,  where  a splendid 
series  of  his  frescoes  still  exists  on  the  wall  of 
the  great  church  in  which  they  were  painted. 
The  two  frescoes  here  in  the  Salle  Duchatel 
are  not  quite  so  fine  either  as  those  at  Saronno 
or  as  the  very  best  examples  among  the  collec- 
tion at  the  Brera.  Nevertheless,  they  are  beau- 
tiful and  delicately  toned  specimens  of  Luini's 
work,  and,  if  studied  in  conjunction  with  other 
pictures  by  the  same  artist  in  the  adjoining 
rooms,  they  will  serve  to  give  a tolerably  just 
conception  of  his  style  and  genius. 

Luini  is  essentially  a Lionardesque  painter. 
He  was  not  actually  a pupil  of  Lionardo,  but, 
like  all  other  Lombard  artists  of  his  time,  he 


274 


Paris. 


was  deeply  influenced  by  the  temperament  and 
example  of  the  Florentine  master.  If  you  wish 
to  see  the  kind  of  work  produced  by  the  Lorn- 
bard  school  before  it  had  undergone  this  quick- 
ening influence  of  Lionardo,  — been  Tuscanised 
and  Lionardised, — look  at  the  Borgognones  in 
the  Long  Gallery.  These,  again,  are  not  at  all 
satisfactory  specimens  of  that  tender,  delicate, 
and  silvery  colourist.  To  appreciate  Borgo- 
gnone  as  he  ought  to  be  appreciated,  however, 
you  must  have  seen  him  at  home  in  the  Certosa 
di  Pavia : though  even  those  who  know  only  his 
exquisitely  spiritual  altar-piece  of  the  Madonna 
with  the  two  St.  Catherines  (of  Alexandria  and 
Siena)  in  the  National  Gallery  will  recognise 
how  inadequately  his  work  is  represented  by 
the  specimens  in  the  Louvre.  Nevertheless, 
these  examples,  inferior  though  they  be  in  style 
and  feeling,  will  serve  fairly  well  to  indicate  the 
point  to  which  art  had  attained  in  Lombardy 
before  the  advent  of  Lionardo.  I need  not 
point  out  their  comparatively  archaic  character, 
and  their  close  following  of  earlier  methods  and 
motives.  Again,  if  you  compare  with  Borgo* 
gnone  the  subsequent  group  of  Lionardesque 
painters,  — Solario  and  his  contemporaries,  — 


LUINI.  — THE  ADORATION  OF  THE  MAGI. 


How  to  Study  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  275 

whose  works  hang  close  by  on  the  left-hand 
wall  of  the  Long  Gallery,  you  will  see  how 
immense  was  the  change  which  Lionardo  intro- 
duced into  Lombard  art.  From  his  time  for- 
ward, the  Lionardesque  face,  the  peculiar  smile, 
the  crimped  wisps  of  hair,  the  subtle  tones  of 
colour,  and  as  far  as  possible  the  touch  and 
technique  of  the  master,  are  reproduced  over 
and  over  again  by  the  next  generation  of  Milan- 
ese painters.  Among  them  all,  Luini  stands 
preeminently  forward  as  the  only  one  endowed 
with  profound  original  genius,  capable  of  trans- 
fusing the  Lionardesque  types  with  new  vitality 
and  beauty  of  his  own  conceiving.  The  others 
are  imitators  : Luini  is  a disciple. 

These  attributes  are  well  seen  in  the  two 
beautiful  frescoes  of  the  Salle  Duchatel.  They 
came  to  Paris  from  the  Palazzo  Litta,  that  hand- 
some rococo  palace  in  Milan  which  stands  nearly 
opposite  the  church  of  San  Maurizio,  itself  a 
museum  of  Luini’s  loveliest  frescoes,  including 
the  incomparable  Execution  of  St.  Catherine. 
The  Adoration  of  the  Magi  is  the  most  satis- 
factory of  the  two.  In  it  the  kings,  — Caspar, 
Melchior,  Balthasar,  — representing,  as  ever,  the 
three  ages  of  man  and  the  three  old  continents. 


276 


Paris. 


are  treated  with  a grace  and  soul  and  deli- 
cacy which  Luini  has  hardly  surpassed  even 
at  Saronno.  The  eldest  king,  as  most  often, 
kneels  next  to  the  Madonna,  who  occupies  the 
conventional  right  hand  of  the  picture.  He  has 
removed  his  crown,  also  an  habitual  feature, 
and  is  presenting  his  gift,  while  the  others  are 
caught  just  before  the  act  of  offering  theirs. 
The  exquisite  face  of  this  eldest  king  is  highly 
typical;  so  is  the  gently  smiling  Lionardesque 
Madonna.  The  youngest  king  is  represented 
as  a Moor,  as  always  in  German,  Flemish,  and 
North  Italian  art,  though  this  trait  is  rarer,  if 
it  occurs  at  all,  in  the  Florentine  and  Central 
Italian  painters.  I take  it  that  the  notion  of 
the  Moor  was  derived  from  Venice ; for  the 
Three  Kings  were  great  objects  of  devotion 
in  Lombardy  and  the  Rhine  country.  Their 
relics,  which  now  repose  at  Cologne,  made  a 
long  stay  on  their  way  from  the  East  at 
Milan ; and  it  is  to  this  fact,  I fancy,  that 
we  must  attribute  the  exceptional  frequency 
of  this  subject  in  the  art  of  Northern  Italy, 
as  of  the  Rhenish  region.  In  the  background, 
the  usual  caravans  are  seen  descending  the 
mountain.  Such  long  trains  of  servants  and 


How  to  Study  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  277 

attendants  are  commonly  seen  in  Adorations 
of  the  Magi.  Camels  and  even  elephants  fre- 
quently form  part  of  them.  Recollect  the 
charming  procession  in  the  exquisite  Benozzo 
Gozzoli  in  the  Riccardi  Palace.  A study  of 
• this  subject,  from  the  simple  beginnings  in 
Giotto's  fresco  in  the  Arena  at  Padua  (where 
a single  servant  and  a very  grotesque  camel, 
entirely  evolved  out  of  the  painter’s  imagina- 
tion, form  the  sole  elements  of  the  cortege 
beyond  the  three  kings),  down  to  the  highly 
complex  Ghirlandajo  in  the  Ufifizi  at  Florence 
(a  good  copy  of  which  may  be  seen  at  the  Ecole 
des  Beaux  Arts),  and  thence  to  Luini,  Boni- 
fazio,  and  the  later  Italians,  forms  a most  inter- 
esting subject  for  the  comprehension  of  the 
historical  evolution  of  art  in  Italy.  Go  straight 
from  this  picture  to  the  Rubens  in  the  Salon 
Carre  in  order  to  observe  the  way  in  which 
the  theme  has  been  treated,  with  considerable 
attention  to  traditional  detail,  yet  with  highly 
transformed  feeling,  by  the  great  and  princely 
Flemish  painter. 

The  Nativity,  in  Luini’s  second  fresco,  is  also 
full  of  traditional  features,  — a beautiful  work 
in  the  peculiar  spirit  of  this  gentle  artist.  Note 


278 


Paris. 


every  one  of  the  accessories  and  details,  observe 
ing  how  they  have  come  from  earlier  pictures, 
and  also  how  completely  Luini  has  subordinated 
them  to  his  own  art  and  his  delicate  handling. 
Comparison  of  these  two  with  the  other  Luinis 
in  other  rooms  will  give  you  some  idea  of  his* 
varying  manners  in  fresco  and  oil-painting. 
Note  that  the  frescoes  represent  him  best,  and 
are  fullest  of  Luini. 

Another  picture,  which,  in  a wholly  different 
direction,  exemplifies  the  need  for  knowledge 
of  works  of  art  elsewhere,  and  especially  under 
the  conditions  in  which  they  were  originally 
painted,  is  to  be  found  in  Carpaccio’s  Preaching 
of  St.  Stephen,  on  the  right-hand  wall,  shortly 
after  you  enter  the  Salle  des  Primitifs.  This 
is  one  of  a series  of  the  Life  of  St.  Stephen,  — 
a forip  of  composition  of  which  the  only  good 
example  in  the  Louvre  is  Lesueur’s  insipid  and 
colourless  set,  recounting  the  biography  and 
miracles  of  St.  Bruno.  In  Italy  such  histories 
of  saints  are  everywhere  common,  as  frescoes 
or  otherwise.  Those  who  know  Venice,  for 
example,  will  well  remember  Carpaccio’s  own 
charming  series  of  the  Life  of  St.  Ursula,  now 
well  arranged  around  the  v/alls  of  a single  room 


How  to  Study  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  279 

in  the  Venice  Academy.  Still  better  will  they 
understand  the  nature  of  these  works  if  they 
have  seen  Carpaccio’s  other  delicious  series  of 
the  Life  of  St.  George,  in  San  Giorgio  dei 
Schiavoni,  where  the  pictures  still  remain,  at 
their  original  height  from  the  ground,  and 
in  their  original  position,  on  the  walls  of  the 
church  for  which  they  were  painted.  Only  in 
such  situations  can  works  of  this  kind  be  prop- 
erly estimated.  That  they  can  less  easily 
be  understood  in  isolation,  you  can  gather  if 
you  look  at  the  four  cabinet  pictures  from  the 
boudoir  of  Isabella  d’Este,  by  Mantegna,  Peru- 
gino,  and  Costa,  which  hang  not  far  from  this 
very  St.  Stephen,  in  the  same  room  of  the 
Louvre.  The  size  of  the  figures,  in  particular, 
is  largely  dictated  by  the  shape  of  the  room,  the 
distance  from  the  eye,  and  the  character  of 
the  space  which  the  painter  has  to  cover. 

This  St.  Stephen  series,  again,  once  existed 
entire  as  five  pictures,  all  by  Carpaccio,  in  the 
Scuola  (or  Guild)  of  St.  Stephen  at  Venice. 
Similar  sets  of  other  saints  still  exist  in  the 
Scuola  di  San  Rocco  and  other  Guilds  in  the 
city.  The  first  of  the  group,  which  represents 
the  saint  being  consecrated  as  deacon  hy  St. 


280 


Pans. 


Peter,  is  now  in  the  Berlin  Gallery.  The  second, 
the  Preaching  of  St.  Stephen,  is  the  one  before 
which  you  are  now  standing.  The  third,  St. 
Stephen  Disputing  with  the  Doctors,  is  at  the 
Brera  in  Milan.  The  fourth,  the  Martyrdom 
of  St.  Stephen,  is  at  Stuttgart.  The  fifth  and 
last,  St.  Stephen  Enthroned,  between’  St. 
Nicolas  and  St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  has  disap- 
peared from  sight,  or  at  least  its  present  where- 
abouts is  unknown  to  me.  It  is  interesting  to 
look  out  for  such  companion  works  in  widely 
separated  galleries. 

Rightly  to  understand  this  picture,  once  more, 
one  should  know  Carpaccio.  And  fully  to  know 
him  one  must  have  spent  some  time  in  Venice. 
But  even  without  that  knowledge,  it  is  pleasant 
here  to  remark  the  familiar  acquaintance  with 
Oriental  life,  which  is  equally  visible  in  the 
neighbouring  picture  of  the  school  of  Bellini 
representing  the  reception  of  a Venetian  am- 
bassador at  Cairo.  The  mixed  character  of  the 
architecture,  and  the  quaint  accessories  are  all 
redolent  of  Carpaccio’s  semi-mediaeval  and 
picturesque  sentiment.  The  pellucid  atmos- 
phere, the  apparent  realism,  the  underlying 
idealism,  the  nai'vete  of  the  innocent  saint  in  his 


How  to  Study  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  281 

deacon's  robes,  counting  his  firstly,  secondly, 
and  thirdly  on  his  fingers,  irrespective  of  perse- 
cution, and  the  glow  and  brilliancy  of  the  Vene- 
tian colouring,  here  approaching  its  zenith,  all 
combine  to  make  this  daintily  simple  picture 
one  of  the  most  attractive  in  this  part  of  the 
Louvre.  Recollect  it  when  you  go  to  Milan 
and  Venice,  and  let  it  fall  into  its  proper  place, 
in  time,  in  your  mature  conception  of  the  painter 
and  the  epoch  in  which  he  lived. 

Nor  is  this  all.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  while  the  Louvre  is  one  of  the  noblest 
collections  of  pictures  in  Europe,  it  differs  from 
most  other  fine  collections  in  the  fact  that  its 
most  important  and  valuable  works  are  not  of 
native  origin,  nor  of  one  race,  school,  or  period. 
The  pictures  at  Florence  are  almost  all  Floren- 
tine ; the  pictures  at  Venice  are  almost  all  Vene- 
tian. At  Bruges  and  Antwerp  we  have  few  but 
Flemish  works ; at  the  Hague  and  Amsterdam, 
few  but  Dutch.  In  the  Louvre,  on  the  contrary 
(as  at  Dresden  and  Munich),  we  get  several 
masterpieces  of  all  the  great  schools,  with  rela- 
tively few  minor  works  of  the  groups  to  which 
they  belong,  by  whose  light  to  understand  them. 
In  short,  this  is  a gallery  of  purple  patches. 


282 


Paris. 


The  gems  of  the  collection  are  the  Raphaels,  the 
Titians,  the  Lionardos,  an  exquisite  Van  Eyck, 
a splendid  Memling,  a few  fine  Murillos,  a 
number  of  great  Rubenses.  To  understand 
all  these,  we  must  know  something  of  Floren- 
tine art,  Umbrian  art,  Venetian  art,  Flemish 
art,  Spanish  art,  and  so  forth.  The  finest 
pictures  of  any  in  the  collection  are  not  French 
at  all,  and  cannot  wholly  be  comprehended  by 
the  light  of  works  in  this  gallery  alone.  There- 
fore it  is  best,  if  possible,  to  return  to  the  Louvre 
after  visiting  every  other  great  school  of  art  in 
Europe.  On  the  other  hand,  a few  great  artists 
are  here  very  amply  represented  ; among  them 
I may  particularise  Raphael,  Titian,  Mantegna, 
Lionardo  and  the  Lionardesque  school,  Gerard 
Don,  and  Rembrandt. 

As  a further  example  of  the  light  cast  by 
pictures  elsewhere  on  those  in  this  gallery, 
however,  I prefer  to  take  a single  little  subject 
from  the  predella  of  Fra  Angelico's  glorious 
Coronation  of  the  Virgin ; I mean  the  compart- 
ment which  represents  St.  Dominic  and  his 
brethren  being  fed  by  angels,  in  the  monastery 
of  St.  Sabina  at  Rome.  Anybody  who  looks  at 
Fra  Angelico’s  painting,  even  in  these  smaller 


TITIAN.  — CHRIST  BOUND. 


• . 'I 


How  to  Study  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  283 

works,  can  recognise  at  once  his  tender,  saintly, 
and  devout  manner.  He  is  permeated  by  a 
spirit  of  adoring  reverence,  which  comes  out 
in  every  one  of  his  angels  and  martyrs.  Fewer 
people,  however,  note  that  the  angelic  friar  was 
also  a loyal  and  devoted  Dominican.  Whatever 
he  paints  is  to  the  glory  of  God,  but  it  is  also 
to  the  glory  of  St.  Dominic  and  of  the  order 
that  he  founded.  This  beautiful  altar-piece, 
for  instance,  was  produced  by  the  Dominican 
painter  of  Fiesole  for  the  Dominican  church 
of  St.  Dominic  at  Fiesole.  The  saint  himself, 
with  his  little  red  star,  is  everywhere  apparent ; 
and  those  who  have  visited  Fra  Angelico’s  own 
Dominican  monastery  of  San  Marco  at  Florence, 
will  recollect  that  the  founder  and  his  red  star 
similarly  occur  in  almost  every  fresco  in  that 
beautiful  building.  They  will  also  recollect 
that  this  very  subject  of  the  brethren  fed  by 
angels  forms  the  theme  for  a beautiful,  but 
much  later,  fresco  by^  Sogliani  in  the  great 
refectory  of  the  same  monastery.  Such  an 
episode  is  admirably  adapted  for  one  of  those 
large  pictures,  representing  a repast  of  some 
sacred  character,  which  it  was  usual  to  place 
on  the  end  wall  of  conventual  dining-halls. 


284 


Paris. 


Compare  it  also  with  a Spanish  treatment  of  a 
similar  miracle,  by  Murillo,  in  the  Cuisine  des 
Anges.  Note  the  simplicity  and  sobriety  of 
the  early  Italian  work,  as  contrasted  with  the 
strained  feeling  and  insistence  upon  mere  effects 
of  luminosity  and  glory  in  the  showy  Spanish 
painting.  The  moral  of  all  such  half-allegorical 
miracles  is  clearly  this  : Our  order  is  sustained 
by  God’s  divine  providence. 

I have  said  already  that  a German  Last 
Supper  in  this  collection  (German  room)  be- 
trays the  influence  of  Lionardo’s  great  fresco 
on  the  wall  of  the  monastery  of  Santa  Maria 
delle  Grazie  at  Milan,  of  which  an  early  copy 
by  a pupil  of  Lionardo’s  exists  in  the  Louvre 
(left  wall  of  the  Long  Gallery).  But  in  order 
thoroughly  to  understand  Lionardo’s  Last 
Supper,  again,  we  must  similarly  compare  it 
with  many  previous  representations  of  the 
same  sacred  scene.  The  type,  in  fact,  was 
begun  among  nameless  Byzantine  and  early 
Christian  artists,  whose  work  can  best  be 
studied  in  Italy.  It  found  its  first  notable 
artistic  expression  in  Giotto’s  fresco  at  Santa 
Croce,  at  Florence,  where  the  traditional  type 
is  considerably  transformed ; and  this  Giot 


SCHOOL  OF  LIONARDO  DA  VINCI. — LAST  SUPPER. 


) 


How  to  Study  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  285 

tesque  Last  Supper  was  repeated  over  and 
over  again  by  many  copyists,  who  each  intro- 
duced various  modifications.  Ghirlandajo  once 
more  transformed  the  type  at  San  Marco  and 
the  Ognissanti ; and  from  Ghirlandajo,  Lionardo 
borrowed  part  of  his  arrangement,  while  trans- 
fusing it  with  an  entirely  new  element  of  life 
and  action,  at  a dramatic  moment,  which  marks 
this  great  painter  s style,  and  is  a distinct  move 
forward  in  the  art  of  composition.  Each  work 
of  art,  down  to  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
can  thus  only  be  fully  understood  by  consider- 
ing it  in  its  proper  place,  as  one  of  a continuous 
evolutionary  series.  Every  painter  took  much 
from  those  who  went  before ; his  individuality 
can  best  be  gauged  by  observing  how  he  trans- 
formed and  modified  what  he  borrowed. 

Now* take  Ghirlandajo’s  Visitation,  in  the  Salle 
des  Primitifs,  as  an  example  of  a work  which,  in 
quite  a different  way,  requires  to  be  understood 
by  light  from  elsewhere.  Note  how  admirably 
the  figures  here  are  balanced  against  the  sky 
and  the  archway  in  the  background.  In  itself, 
this  is  a beautiful  and  striking  picture  ; but  it 
is  also  a good  illustration  of  those  subjects 
which  cannot  adequately  be  understood  by  con- 


286 


Paris. 


sideration  of  works  in  this  gallery  alone.  The 
attitudes  and  costumes  of  the  two  principal 
personages  are  strictly  conventional ; nay,  if 
you  compare  the  St.  Elizabeth  in  this  Visitation 
with  the  same  saint  in  the  Mantegna  almost 
opposite,  you  will  see  that  her  dress  and  fea- 
tures remain  fairly  typical,  even  in  two  such 
very  distinct  schools  as  the  Paduan  and  the 
Florentine.  The  relative  positions  of  the  Ma- 
donna and  her  elder  cousin  have  come  down  to 
Ghirlandajo  from  a very  remote  antiquity  : they 
were  adopted,  with  modification,  by  Giotto,  in 
his  fresco  of  this  subject  in  the  Madonna  deir 
Arena  at  Padua.  But  Giotto  also  introduced 
an  arch  in  the  background,  which  persists  in 
almost  all  later  representations.  His  arch, 
however,  is  blind,  — you  do  not  see  the  sky 
through  it.  So  is  Taddeo  Gaddi’s,  in  his  closely 
similar  Visitation  at  Santa  Croce,  in  Florence  : 
but  the  figures  here  still  more  nearly  approach 
the  positions  of  the  Ghirlandajo,  and  they  stand 
more  directly  framed,  as  it  were,  by  the  arch 
behind  them.  Skipping  many  intermediate  ex- 
amples, each  of  which  leads  up  to  this  picture, 
we  come  to  this  beautiful  embodiment  of  Ghir- 
landajo’s,  which,  while  retaining  the  simplicity 


How  to  Study  Paintings  in  the  Louvre.  287 

of  composition  in  the  earlier  examples,  shows  a 
fine  artistic  instinct  in  the  way  in  which  the 
chief  characters  are  silhouetted  in  the  gap  of 
the  archway.  Ghirlandajo  accepted  the  older 
tradition,  while  transforming  it  with  the  skill 
and  taste  of  the  early  Renaissance  after  his 
own  fashion.  Those  who  have  visited  Florence 
will  remember  how  Pacchiarotto,  in  his  admi- 
rable presentation  of  the  same  subject,  now  in 
the  Belle  Arti  in  that  town,  — which,  like  this 
one,  is  a Visitation  with  selected  saints  as  spec- 
tators,— has  closely  followed  Ghirlandajo’s  treat- 
ment, with  still  further  modifications,  while  the 
noble  embodiment  of  the  same  scene  by  Mariotto 
Albertinelli,  in  the  Uffizi,  consists  of  the  two 
central  figures  in  the  Ghirlandajo  or  the  Pac- 
chiarotto, cut  out,  as  it  were,  and  presented 
separately  with  noble  effect  against  a back- 
ground of  sky  seen  through  the  archway.  In 
such  a case  we  see  distinctly  how  the  individual 
work  can  only  fairly  be  judged  as  a develop- 
ment of  motives  borrowed  from  others  which 
have  preceded  it,  and  how  in  turn  it  gives  rise 
later  to  still  further  modifications  of  its  own 
conception.  If  you  have  not  yet  visited  Flor- 
ence, bear  in  mind  this  work  when  you  see  the 


288 


Paris. 


Pacchiarotto  and  the  Albertinelli.  It  is  a good 
plan  for  the  purposes  of  such  comparison  to 
carry  about  photographs  of  other  pictures  in  the 
same  series.  You  may  go  straight  from  the 
Ghirlandajo  here  to  the  Sebastiano  del  Piombo 
in  the  Salon  Carre ; and  thence  again  to  a copy 
of  Pontormo’s  Visitation  in  the  Long  Gallery 
(right  side,  near  the  Fra  Bartolommeo),  which 
is  interesting  as  showing  a survival  of  the  arch, 
treated  with  far  less  effect,  and  thrown  away  as 
an  element  in  the  composition.  Here  the  at- 
tendant saints  have  become  a confused  crowd, 
and  the  degradation  of  Fra  Bartolommeo’s 
balanced  grouping  is  very  conspicuous.  Make 
one  picture  thus  cast  light  upon  another. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


CLASSICAL  SCULPTURE. 

HE  sculpture  at  the  Louvre  falls  into 


J-  three  main  divisions,  each  of  which  is 
housed  in  a separate  part  of  the  building.  The 
classical  sculpture  is  approached  by  the  same 
door  as  the  paintings,  and  occupies  the  base- 
ment floor  of  Jean  Goujon’s  part  of  the  Old 
Louvre,  with  the  wing  beneath  the  Galerie 
d’ Apollon.  The  Renaissance  sculpture  is  ap- 
proached by  a separate  door  in  the  eastern  half 
of  the  same  side,  and  occupies  the  correspond- 
ing suite  opposite  the  classical  series.  The 
modern  sculpture  is  also  approached  by  a 
special  door  in  the  north  wing  of  the  west  side 
in  the  old  Cour  du  Louvre,  and  occupies  the 
suite  beyond  the  Pavilion  de  I’Horloge. 

The  importance  of  these  three  divisions  is 
very  different.  Without  doubt,  the  most  valu- 
able collection,  intrinsically  and  artistically 


289 


290 


Paris. 


speaking,  is  that  of  the  classical  or  antique 
sculpture : and  this  should  be  visited  in  close 
detail  by  all  those  who  do  not  contemplate  a 
trip  to  Rome,  Naples,  and  Florence.  Nobody 
can  afford  to  miss  the  Venus  of  Milo,’’  the 
Diana  of  Gabii,”  or  the  Samothracian  Nike.” 
On  the  other  hand,  these  exquisite  Greek  and 
Roman  works,  models  of  plastic  art  for  all  time, 
including  two  or  three  of  the  greatest  master- 
pieces which  have  come  down  to  us  from  antiq- 
uity, have  yet  no  organic  connection  with  French 
history,  or  even,  save  quite  indirectly,  with  the 
development  of  French  art.  At  the  same  time, 
thoroughly  to  understand  them  is  a work  for 
the  specialist  : those  who  have  little  or  no 
classical  knowledge,  and  who  desire  to  com- 
prehend them,  must  be  content  to  buy  the 
new  official  catalogue  (not  yet  issued),  to  fol- 
low closely  the  excellent  labels,  and  also  to 
study  the  subject  in  detail  in  the  various  ex- 
cellent handbooks  of  antique  sculpture,  such 
as  Liibke’s  or  Gardner’s. 

The  discrimination  of  the  different  schools, 
and  the  evidence  (usually  very  inferential)  as  to 
the  affiliation  of  the  various  works  on  the  great 
masters  or  their  followers,  are  so  much  matters 


DIANA  OF  GABII. 


Classical  Sculpture. 


291 


of  expert  opinion  that  I do  not  propose  to  enter 
into  them  here.  I shall  merely  give,  for  the 
general  reader,  a brief  account  of  the  succes- 
sion and  evolution  of  antique  plastic  art,  as 
exemplified  in  the  various  halls  of  this  gallery, 
referring  him  for  further  and  fuller  details  to 
specialist  works  on  the  subject. 

The  Renaissance  sculpture,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  largely  French  ; and,  whether  French 
or  Italian,  it  bears  directly  on  the  evolution  of 
Parisian  art,  and  has  the  closest  relations  with 
the  life  of  the  people.  Every  visitor  to  Paris 
should  therefore  pay  great  attention  to  this 
important  collection,  which  forms  the  best 
transitional  link  in  Western  Europe  between 
Gothic  mediaevalism  and  the  modern  spirit. 

The  collection  of  modern  sculpture,  again, 
is  both  artistically  and  historically  far  less  im- 
portant. It  may  be  visited  in  an  hour  or  two, 
and  it  is  chiefly  interesting  as  bridging  the 
lamentable  gap  between  the  fine  Renaissance 
work  of  the  age  of  the  later  Valois,  and  the 
productions  of  contemporary  French  sculptors. 

Few  or  none  of  the  most  famous  master- 
pieces of  the  great  classical  artists  have  come 
down  to  us  with  absolute  certainty.  The  plas- 


292 


Paris. 


tic  works  which  we  actually  possess  are  for  the 
most  part  those  which  have  been  casually  pre- 
served by  accidental  circumstances.  Almost 
all  the  greatest  productions  of  the  greatest 
sculptors  have  either  been  destroyed  or  else 
defaced  beyond  recognition.  We  therefore  de- 
pend for  our  knowledge  of  ancient  sculpture 
either  upon  those  works  which  were  situated 
on  comparatively  inaccessible  portions  of  huge 
buildings  like  the  Parthenon  and  other  temples, 
and  which  have  consequently  survived  more  or 
less  completely  the  ravages  of  time,  the  mis- 
chief of  the  barbarian,  and  the  blind  fury  of 
early  Christian  and  Mahommedan  fanatics  ; or 
else  upon  those  which  have  been  preserved  for 
us  in  the  earth,  under  the  debris  of  burnt  and 
ruined  villas  and  gardens,  or  in  the  ashes  of 
buried  cities  like  Pompeii.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances, the  wonder  is  that  so  much  of 
beautiful  and  noble  should  still  remain  to  us. 
This  is  mainly  owing  to  the  fact  that  in  an- 
tiquity a fine  model,  once  produced,  was  re- 
peated and  varied  ad  infinitum,  — much  as  we 
have  seen  at  Cluny,  and  in  the  paintings  up- 
stairs, each  principal  scene  from  the  Gospels  or 
the  legends  of  the  saints,  once  crystallised  by 


Classical  Sculpture. 


293 


custom,  was  reproduced  over  and  over  again, 
with  slight  alterations,  by  many  subsequent 
artists.  The  consequence  is  that  most  of  the 
statues  in  this  department  fall  into  well-marked 
groups  with  other  examples  here  or  elsewhere. 
We  have  not  the  originals,  in  most  cases,  but 
we  have  many  copies  ; and  few  of  these  copies 
are  servile  reproductions : more  often,  they 
show  some  touch  of  the  individual  sculptor. 
The  best  antiques  are  therefore  generally  those 
which  happen  most  nearly  to  approach  in  spirit 
and  execution  a great  and  famous  original.  (See 
later,  for  example,  the  Apollo  Sauroctonos.) 
You  must  compare  these  works  one  with  an- 
other, in  this  collection  and  elsewhere,  in  this 
spirit,  recollecting  that  often  even  an  inferior 
variant  represents  in  certain  parts  the  feeling 
of  the  original  far  better  than  another  and  gen- 
erally finer  example  may  happen  to  do.  Nay, 
such  splendid  works  as  the  so-called  Venus  of 
Milo  itself  must  thus  be  regarded  rather  as 
fortunate  copies  or  modifications  of  an  accepted 
type  by  some  gifted  originator  than  as  neces- 
sarily originals  by  the  best  masters.  With  the 
exception  of  the  few  fragments  from  the  Par- 
thenon by  Pheidias  and  his  pupils,  hardly  any- 


Paris. 


294 

thing  in  this  gallery  can  be  set  down  with 
certainty  to  any  first-class  name  of  the  very 
best  periods.  But  many  statues  can  be  as- 
signed to  groups  which  took  their  origin  from 
certain  particular  famous  sculptors  : we  know 
the  school,  though  not  the  artist.  And  several 
are  judged  by  the  descriptions  of  ancient  writers 
to  be  copies  or  variants'*  of  works  assigned  to 
sculptors  of  the  first  eminence. 

Many  of  the  statues  found  in  the  Renaissance 
period,  and  up  to  the  close  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  have  been  freely  and  often  injudiciously 
restored  : others  have  really  antique  heads,  which 
do  not,  however,  in  every  case  belong  to  them. 
Not  a few  have  been  considerably  altered  and 
hacked  about  in  the  course  of  restoration,  or  of 
arbitrarily  supplying  them  with  independent 
faces.  This  reprehensible  practice  has  not 
been  followed  in  more  recent  additions,  such  as 
the  Venus  of  Milo,''  and  the  Samothracian 
Nikfe." 

Enter  by  the  same  door  as  for  the  paintings. 
Proceed  along  the  corridor  (Galerie  Denon) 
and  dive,  right  or  left,  under  the  great  stair- 
case. (Good  new  room  to  the  right  containing 
excellent  Roman  mosaics  from  French  North 


295 


Classical  Sculpture. 

Africa.)  Pass  some  good  sarcophagi  and  other 
objects,  and  enter  the  Rotonde,  which  contains 
for  the  most  part  works  of  a relatively  late 
period.  In  the  centre,  the  * Borghese  Mars 
(or,  in  Greek,  Ares),  a celebrated  statue,  less 
virile  than  is  usual  in  figures  of  this  god. 
Round  the  room  are  grouped  many  fairly  good 
statues,  not  a few  of  them  almost  duplicates. 
Among  them  should  be  noticed  (beginning  from 
the  door),  on  the  right,  a fine  Melpomene  ; then 
the  Lycian  Apollo,  with  harmless  serpent  glid- 
ing from  a tree-trunk  ; and  especially  the  fa- 
mous ^ Silenus  Nursing  the  Infant  Bacchus,  of 
the  school  of  the  great  sculptor  Praxiteles,  — 
perhaps  the  most  pleasing  of  the  many  repre- 
sentations of  Faun  and  Satyr  life  which  an- 
tiquity has  bequeathed  to  us.  This  work 
should  be  studied  as  showing  that  later  stage 
of  easy  Greek  culture  when  sculpture  was  not 
wholly  religious  and  monumental,  but  when  the 
desire  to  please  by  direct  arts  and  graces  was 
distinctly  present.  Close  by  are  two  or  three 
good  draped  female  figures  ; and  another  Lycian 
Apollo,  which  should  be  closely  compared  with 
the  one  opposite  it,  as  indicating  the  nature  of 
the  numerous  copies  or  replicas  commonly  made 


296 


Paris. 


of  famous  works  of  antiquity.  Beside  this,  a 
couple  of  Hermae,  or  heads  on  rough  bases,  in 
later  imitation  of  the  archaic  Greek  style,  with 
its  curious  stiff  simper : the  type  was  doubtless 
too  sacred  to  be  varied  from  ; a portrait  statue 
of  a lady  with  the  attributes  of  Ceres  ; a charm- 
ing Nymph,  carrying  an  amphora ; excellent  fig- 
ures of  athletes,  etc.  Many  of  the  statues  in 
this  and  succeeding  rooms  are  much  restored, 
and  in  some  cases  with  heads  that  do  not  be- 
long to  them.  They  are  interesting  as  show- 
ing the  general  high  level  of  plastic  art  among 
nameless  artists  of  the  classical  period. 

The  next  room,  **  the  Salle  Grecque^  or  Salle 
de  Phidias,  is  interesting  as  containing  a few 
works  of  the  great  artist  after  whom  it  is  called, 
as  well  as  many  specimens  of  archaic  Greek 
art,  before  it  had  yet  attained  to  the  freedom 
and  grace  of  the  age  of  Pheidias.  In  the  cen- 
tre are  fragments  of  the  early  half-prehistoric 
figures  (sixth  century  b.  c.)  commonly  known 
as  Apollos,  but  more  probably  serving  in  many 
cases  merely  as  funereal  monuments, — a man 
in  the  abstract,  to  represent  the  deceased,  like 
a headstone.  They  exhibit  well  the  constrained 
attitudes  and  want  of  freedom  in  the  position 


Classical  Sculpture. 


297 


of  the  arms  and  legs,  which  are  characteristic 
of  the  earliest  epoch.  These  very  old  features 
are  still  more  markedly  seen  in  the  mutilated 
draped  Herfe  in  the  centre ; it  well  illustrates 
the  starting-point  of  Hellenic  art.  The  admi- 
rable bas-reliefs  from  Thasos  on  the  entrance 
wall,  on  the  other  hand,  — removed  from  a 
votive  monument  to  Apollo,  the  Nymphs,  and 
the  Graces,  and  still  retaining  the  dedicatory 
inscription  graven  over  their  portal,  — exem- 
plify the  gradual  increase  in  freedom  and  power 
of  modelling  during  the  early  part  of  the  fifth 
century  b.  c.  This  improvement  is  very  notice- 
able in  the  Hermes  with  one  of  the  Graces 
on  the  first  of  these  reliefs.  Still  somewhat 
angular  in  movement,  they  herald  the  approach 
of  the  Pheidian  period.  From  this  time  for- 
ward the  advance  becomes  incredibly  rapid. 

Next,  examine  the  work  of  the  perfect  period. 
Above  is  a mutilated  fragment  of  Athenian  girls 
ascending  the  Acropolis  to  present  the  holy 
robe  to  Athene,  from  the  frieze  of  the  Parthe- 
non, of  the  great  age  of  Pheidias  (not  a century 
later  than  these  archaic  attempts)  : with  por- 
tions of  a metope  of  the  same  temple.  The 
first  may  be  possibly  by  Pheidias  himself ; the 


second  by  his  pupil  Alcamenes.  Close  by, 
metope  of  the  temple  of  Zeus  at  Olympia  (about 
450  B.  c.),  whose  subjects  are  sufficiently  in- 
dicated on  the  labels  : almost  equal  in  power  to 
the  Athenian  examples.  The  fine  bas-relief  of 
Orpheus  and  Eurydice,  of  the  best  period  (falsely 
named  above,  later),  should  also  be  observed ; 
but  the  works  of  the  archaic  and  transitional 
periods  are  far  better  exemplified  at  Munich 
and  in  London  ; while  the  fragments  of  Pheidias 
cannot  of  course  compare  with  the  magnificent 
series  in  the  British  Museum.  See  the  copies 
of  both  in  the  Ecole  des  Beaux  Arts.  By  the 
next  window,  lion  and  bull,  somewhat  recall- 
ing remote  Assyrian  influence  ; with  numerous 
small  reliefs  of  the  best  age,  which  should  be 
carefully  studied.  These,  for  the  most  part  of 
the  finest  early  workmanship,  admirably  illus- 
trate the  extraordinary  outburst  of  artistic  spirit 
during  the  age  which  succeeded  the  wars  with 
Persia.  The  reliefs  on  the  end  wall,  chiefly 
from  Athens  and  the  Piraeus,  as  well  as  those 
by  the  last  window,  belong  in  most  instances 
to  this  splendid  age  of  awakening  and  culmi- 
nating art-faculty.  I do  not  enumerate,  as 
the  labels  suffice;  but  every  one  of  the  works 


THREE  GRACES. 


. /y! 


299 


Classical  Sculpture. 

in  this  room  should  be  closely  followed.  Do 
not  miss  the  charming,  half-archaic,  funereal 
relief  of  Philis,  daughter  of  Cleomedes,  from 
Thasos. 

Continue  on  through  the  Long  Gallery, 
flanked  by  inferior  works,  — but  what  splendid 
inferiority  ! — to  the  room  of  the  Medea  sar- 
cophagus, a fine  stone  tomb,  containing  scenes 
from  the  legend  of  Medea  and  the  children  of 
Jason.  Round  the  room  are  grouped  several 
small  statues,  much  restored,  indeed,  and  not  of 
the  best  period,  but  extremely  charming.  The 
most  noticeable  is  the  dainty  little  group  of 
the  Three  Graces,  characteristic  and  pleasing, 
though  with  modern  heads.  The  next  compart- 
ment— that  of  the  Hermaphrodite  — includes 
one  of  the  best  and  purest  of  the  many  versions 
of  this  favourite  subject,  from  Velletri,  couched, 
by  the  window.  (Another  in  the  Salle  des  Cary- 
atides, for  comparison.)  The  Farnese  Eros  is 
a pretty  work  of  a late  period.  The  room  also 
possesses  several  works  of  the  Satyr  class,  two 
of  which,  close  by,  are  useful  as  instances  of 
repetition.  The  four  statues  of  Venus  (Aphro- 
dite), at  the  four  corners  (in  two  closely  similar 
pairs),  are  also  very  interesting  in  the  same 


300 


Paris. 


manner,  being  variants  based  upon  one  original 
model,  closely  resembling  one  another  in  their 
general  features,  but  much  altered  in  the  acces- 
sories and  details.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
the  good  figures  of  Athene  by  the  far  wall. 

The  Hall  of  the  Sarcophagus  of  Adonis  con- 
tains several  excellent  sarcophagi,  the  reliefs  on 
which  well  illustrate  the  character  of  the  class ; 
among  them,  one  to  the  left  has  interesting 
reclining  figures  of  its  occupant  and  his  wife, 
an  early  motive,  late  repeated.  The  relief 
from  which  the  room  takes  its  name,  on  the 
wall  to  the  right,  represents,  in  three  scenes, 
the  departure  of  Adonis  for  the  chase ; his 
wounding  by  a wild  boar ; and  Aphrodite 
mourning  over  the  body  of  her  lover.  Such 
reliefs  afforded  important  hints  in  mediaeval 
times  to  the  sculptors  who  first  started  the 
Renaissance  movement.  As  we  pass  into  the 
next  compartment,  notice  another  variant  of 
the  Aphrodite. 

The  Salle  de  Psyche  contains,  opposite  the 
window,  the  famous  figure  from  which  it  takes 
its  name  (too  much  restored  to  be  freely  judged), 
together  with  two  characteristic  dancing  Satyrs, 
after  models  of  the  school  of  Praxiteles.  The 


Classical  Sculpture.  301 

fine  sculptured  chairs  of  office  by  the  window 
should  also  be  noticed. 

We  now  come  to  the  hall  of  the  so-called 
Venus  of  Milo,  — an  absurd  mistranslation  of 
the  French  name : the  idiomatic  English  would 
be  either  ‘^the  Melos  Venus,”  ‘^the  Melian 
Venus,”  or,  better  still,  ^‘the  Melian  Aphro- 
dite.” This  is  undoubtedly  the  finest  plastic 
work  in  the  whole  of  the  Louvre.  Its  beauty 
is  self-evident.  It  was  found  in  1820  in  the 
island  of  Melos  in  the  Greek  Archipelago.  The 
statue  is  usually  held  to  represent  the  Greek 
goddess  of  love,  and  is  a very  noble  work,  yet 
not  one  by  a recognised  master,  nor  even 
mentioned  by  ancient  writers  among  the  well- 
known  statues  of  antiquity.  Nothing  could 
better  show  the  incredible  wealth  of  Greek 
plastic  art,  indeed,  than  the  fact  that  this 
exquisite  Aphrodite  was  produced  by  a name- 
less sculptor,  and  seems  to  have  been  far  sur- 
passed by  many  other  works  of  its  own  period. 
In  type,  it  belongs  to  a school  which  forms  a 
transition  between  the  perfect  early  grace  and 
purity  of  Pheidias,  with  his  pupils,  and  the 
later,  more  self-conscious  and  deliberate  style 
of  Praxiteles  and  his  contemporaries.  Not 


302 


Paris. 


quite  so  pure  as  the  former,  it  is  free  from  the 
obvious  striving  after  effect  in  the  latter,  and 
from  the  slightly  affected  prettinesses  well 
illustrated  here  in  the  group  of  Silenus  with 
the  infant  Bacchus.  The  famous  series  of 
Niobe  and  her  Children,  in  the  Ufifizi  at  Flor- 
ence (duplicates  of  some  elsewhere),  exhibits 
much  the  same  set  of  characteristics.  Those 
works  have  been  attributed  on  reasonable 
grounds  to  Scopas,  a contemporary  of  Demos- 
thenes ; and  this  statue  has  therefore  been 
ascribed  with  little  hesitation  to  one  of  his 
pupils.  It  is,  however,  purer  in  form  than  the 
Niobe  series,  and  exhibits  the  perfect  ideal, 
artistic  and  anatomical,  of  the  beautiful,  healthy 
nude  female  form  for  the  white  race.  Its  pro- 
portions are  famous.  As  regards  the  missing 
portions,  which  have  happily  not  been  conjec- 
turally  restored,  it  was  originally  believed  that 
the  left  hand  held  an  apple  (the  symbol  of 
Melos),  while  the  right  supported  the  drapery. 
It  is  more  probable,  however,  that  the  figure 
was  really  a Nik^  (or  Victory),  and  that  she 
grasped  a shield  and  possibly  also  a winged 
figure  on  an  orb.  Comparison  with  the  other 
similar  half-draped  nude  statues  described  as 


303 


Classical  Sculpture. 

Venuses  in  the  adjoining  rooms  is  very  instruc- 
tive ; their  resemblances  and  differences  show 
the  nature  of  the  modifications  from  previous 
types,  while  the  immense  superiority  of  this  to 
all  the  rest  is  immediately  apparent.  Notice 
in  particular  the  exquisite  texture  of  the  skin ; 
the  perfect  moderation  of  the  form,  whieh  is 
well  developed  and  amply  covered,  without  the 
faintest  tinge  of  voluptuous  exeess,  such  as 
one  gets  in  late  work ; and  the  intellectual  and 
moral  nobility  of  the  features.  No  object  in 
the  Louvre  deserves  longer  study.  It  is  one 
of  the  finest  classical  works  that  survive  in 
Europe. 

Pass  to  the  right  into  the  next  suite  of  rooms, 
the  first  of  which  contains  the  colossal  figure 
of  Melpomene,  the  tragic  muse,  — a splendid 
example  of  this  imposing  type  of  antique 
sculpture,  so  well  represented  in  the  Vatican. 
Round  the  room  are  ranged  several  minor 
works,  including  a charming  Flute-player,  doubt- 
fully restored,  and  some  excellent  busts. 

The  long  series  of  rooms  which  follows  this 
one  contains  in  many  cases  Graeco-Roman 
works,  imitated  from  the  great  Greek  models, 
and  often  showing  more  or  less  decadent  spirit. 


304 


Paris. 


Among  them,  however,  are  some  of  the  finest 
specimens  of  ancient  sculpture,  Greek  included  ; 
and,  indeed,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the 
grounds  upon  which  such  Greek  works  are  dis- 
tinguished by  experts  from  later  copies  are 
often  sufficiently  delicate  and  inferential.  In 
the  centre,  a beautiful  Genius  of  Sleep.  Behind 
it,  good  figures  of  Eros  (Love)  drawing  his  bow, 
again  indicating  the  nature  of  the  replicas  and 
variations  of  established  models,  which  were  so 
familiar  to  antique  sculptors.  The  little  muti- 
lated fragment  by  their  side,  well  placed  here 
for  comparison,  excellently  illustrates  the  nature 
of  the  evidence  on  which  such  works  are  fre- 
quently restored.  Further  on,  a Venus,  which 
is  a variant  (probably  Roman)  of  the  type  of  the 
Venus  of  Arles,  just  beyond  it.  Behind  this,  a 
little  in  front  in  the  room,  the  noble  ^ Pallas 
from  Velletri, — the  finest  and  most  typical 
representation  of  the  goddess  : a good  Roman 
copy  of  a Greek  work  of  the  best  period.  Then 
the  famous  ^ Venus  of  Arles  itself,  a Greek 
original,  which  may  be  instructively  compared 
with  the  replica  or  variant  close  to  it.  (The 
labels  well  indicate  to  the  student  who  cares  to 
proceed  further  in  this  study  the  extent  of  the 


VENUS  OF  ARLES. 


Classical  Sculpture.  305 

restorations  in  every  case.)  This  figure,  after 
the  Melian  Aphrodite,  is  probably  the  most  beau- 
tiful female  form  in  the  entire  collection.  Be- 
hind it,  the  graceful  and  exquisitely  draped 
Polyhymnia  (replica  of  a well-known  type),  a 
model  of  perfect  repose  and  culture,  but  largely 
modern.  Then,  good  bust  of  Homer.  Next, 
the  * Apollo  Sauroctonus  or  Lizard-slayer,  a 
copy  in  marble  of  a famous  work  in  bronze  by 
Praxiteles.  This  is  once  more  one  of  the  many 
reproductions  (not  necessarily  always  actual 
copies)  of  types  which  are  mentioned  by  clas- 
sical authors.  By  the  archway,  Euterpe,  and  a 
Votary.  Among  the  sarcophagi,  one  of  Actaeon 
torn  by  his  dogs ; another  representing  the 
Nine  Muses. 

Most  of  the  figures  in  this  room  are  marked 
by  a calm  and  classical  repose,  while  those  in 
the  next  compartment,  the  Salle  du  Heros  Com- 
batant, indicate  in  many  cases  a later  tendency 
to  rapidity  of  motion  and  violent  action,  which 
is  alien  to  the  highest  plastic  ideal.  Among 
the  most  successful  works  of  this  group  is  the 
light  and  airy  Atalanta,  under  the  archway,  — a 
beautiful  figure  of  a young  girl,  running,  caught 
at  the  most  exquisite  statuesque  moment. 


3o6 


Paris. 


Near  it,  a fine  Venus  Genetrix.  By  the  win- 
dow, admirable  figure  of  a wounded  Amazon. 
Next  window,  the  celebrated  Borghese  Centaur 
and  Bacchus,  a charming  realisation  of  this 
mythological  conception.  Note  the  playfulness 
of  developed  Greek  fancy.  The  centre  of  the 
room  is  occupied  by  a powerful  and  ana- 
tomically admirable  figure  of  a Fighting  Hero 
(formerly  called  a Gladiator),  by  Agasias  of 
Ephesus,  — one  of  the  few  statues  here  on 
which  the  sculptor  has  inscribed  his  name.  It 
is  a triumph  of  its  own  ‘‘active’'  type  of  art, 
where  movement  and  life  are  aimed  at,  but 
wholly  lacking  in  beauty  or  ideality.  It  belongs 
to  the  age  of  Augustus  or  a little  earlier.  Be- 
hind it,  Marsyas  flayed  alive,  a repetition  of  a 
frequent  but  unpleasant  subject.  Centre  again, 
the  Faun  of  Vienne,  a young  satyr,  retaining 
traces  of  colour,  vigorous  and  clever.  Then, 
**  exquisite  ideal  statue  of  a young  girl  fasten- 
ing her  cloak,  commonly  but  incorrectly  known 
as  the  Diana  of  Gabii ; for  simple  domestic 
grace  this  dainty  work  is  unrivalled.  It  is 
probably  of  the  age  of  Alexander  the  Great, 
and  is  well  worth  study.  It  almost  suggests 
the  Italian  Renaissance.  By  the  archways,  a 


Classical  Sculpture.  307 

Hermes  known  as  the  Richelieu  Mercury,  with 
a closely  similar  replica.  Under  the  archway 
leading  to  the  next  room,  fine  portrait  statue  of 
the  age  of  Hadrian,  representing  Antinous,  the 
emperor’s  favourite,  in  the  guise  of  Aristaeus, 
the  mythical  hero  of  agriculture : the  features 
are  much  less  beautiful  than  in  most  other 
instances  of  this  well-known  face,  several  exam- 
ples of  which  occur  later.  Such  representa- 
tions of  historical  characters  in  the  form  of  gods 
or  mythical  heroes  were  common  at  Rome : 
probably  in  most  cases  the  sitter’s  head  and 
figure  were  accommodated  or  adapted  to  a well- 
known  model. 

The  Salle  du  Tibre^  which  we  next  enter,  con- 
tains in  its  centre  the  celebrated  figure  of 
* Artemis  (Diana)  known  as  Diane  a la  Biche 
or  the  ‘‘  Diane  de  Versailles,”  one  of  the  antique 
statues  acquired  by  Francois  1%  the  influence 
of  which  on  later  art  will  be  very  distinctly  felt 
when  we  come  to  examine  the  French  sculpture 
of  the  Renaissance.  It  is  a charming,  graceful, 
and  delicate  figure  of  the  age  of  declining  art, 
exactly  adapted  to  take  the  French  fancy  of 
that  awakening  period.  It  was  probably  exe- 
cuted at  Rome  by  a Greek  sculptor  about  the 


Paris. 


308 

time  of  Julius  Caesar.  At  the  end  of  the  room, 
colossal  recumbent  figure  of  the  Tiber,  repre- 
sented as  the  benignant  Father  Tiber  of  Rome, 
bearing  the  oar  which  symbolises  the  navigable 
river,  and  the  cornucopia  denoting  the  agricul- 
tural and  commercial  wealth  of  the  Tiber  val- 
ley : by  its  side  nestles  the  wolf,  with  Romulus 
and  Remus  ; a pretty  allegorical  conception  of 
Rome  and  the  stream  which  made  it : itself 
doubtless  a pendant  to  the  similar  recumbent 
figure  of  the  Nile  in  the  Vatican.  Close  by, 
two  Satyrs,  imitated  from  Praxiteles.  Behind, 
four  Satyrs  as  caryatides,  from  the  theatre  of 
Dionysus,  Athens,  third  century  b.  c.  Round 
the  wall,  good  draped  figures  of  goddesses. 
Walk  through  these  rooms  often,  in  order  to 
gain  an  idea  of  the  astonishing  wealth  and 
purity  of  Hellenic  sculpture. 

Now,  return  through  the  Salle  Grecque  and 
the  Rotonde,  and  turn  to  the  left  into  the 
Roman  Galleries,  which  contain  for  the  most 
part  statues  and  busts  of  the  imperial  epoch. 

In  the  first  room  are  reliefs  of  sacrifices,  and 
fronts  of  sarcophagi,  together  with  a fine  por- 
trait-statue of  Sulla.  By  the  second  window, 
the  famous  and  noble  head  of  Maecenas,  the 


THE  TIBER. — SATYR  CARYATIDES. 


309 


Classical  Sculpture. 

great  Etruscan  statesman  and  minister  of  Au- 
gustus, who  practically  organised  the  Roman 
Empire.  The  astute  features,  very  Tuscan  in 
type,  which  in  some  degree  recall  those  both  of 
Bismarck  and  Moltke,  are  full  of  practical  vigour 
and  the  wisdom  of  statecraft.  A more  charac- 
teristic or  finer  head  has  not  been  bequeathed 
to  us  by  antiquity.  Contrast  this  magnificent 
and  thoughtful  bust  of  the  best  Roman  age, 
instinct  with  meaning,  with  the  coarse  and 
coarsely  executed  colossal  head  of  Caracalla, 
the  cruel  and  sensuous  emperor  of  the  deca- 
dence, in  the  next  window,  — as  crude  as  a 
coarse  lithograph.  In  the  corner,  a Mithra 
stabbing  a bull,  of  a class  to  be  noted  again  in 
greater  detail  later.  By  the  passage  into  the 
next  room,  masks  of  Medusa  with  the  snaky 
hair. 

Walk  straight  through  the  following  rooms, 
without  stopping,  till  you  arrive  at  the  Salle 
cC Auguste  on  the  right,  at  the  end,  so  as  to  take 
the  works  in  historical  sequence.  This  hall  is 
the  first  in  chronological  order  of  the  Roman 
period.  It  contains  portrait-statues  and  busts 
of  the  Julian  emperors  and  their  families,  and 
of  the  Flavian  dynasty.  Begin  down  the  centre. 


310 


Paris. 


* Bust  of  Julius  Caesar,  indicating  well  the  intel- 
lectual character  and  relentless  will  of  the  man  : 
a speaking  likeness.  Next  to  it,  the  famous 
**  Antinous  (eyes  removed ; once  jewels),  a 
much  idealised  colossal  portrait-bust  of  the 
beautiful  young  favourite  of  the  Emperor  Ha- 
drian, who  drowned  himself  in  the  Nile  in  order 
to  become  a protecting  genius  for  his  patron  ; 
he  is  here  represented  in  a grave  and  rigid  style 
somewhat  faintly  reminiscent  of  Egyptian  art, 
and  with  the  attributes  of  Bacchus  or  (more 
correctly)  Osiris ; Hadrian  deified  him  and 
erected  a temple  in  his  honour  in  a town  in 
Egypt  which  he  named  after  him.  Observe 
the  lotus  entwined  in  the  hair.  Fine  portrait- 
statue  of  a Roman  orator,  probably  Julius 
Caesar,  one  of  the  best  works  of  its  class  of 
the  best  period  of  revived  Greek  art  under  the 
early  Roman  Empire : signed  by  Cleomenes. 
The  figure  is  that  conventionally  attributed  to 
Hermes  or  Mercury.  Near  it,  Agrippa,  the 
son-in-law  of  Augustus  and  builder  of  the  Pan- 
theon ; full  of  the  statesmanlike  characteristics 
of  the  early  empire.  Ideal  bust  of  Rome,  cold 
but  beautiful  : Romulus  and  Remus  on  the 
helmet.  Under  the  tribune,  famous  * portrait- 


Classical  Sculpture.  3 1 1 

statue  of  Augustus,  a very  noble  representation. 
It  is  flanked  by  two  good  portrait-statues  of  the 
emperor  himself,  and  of  his  successor,  Tiberius. 
In  front  of  it  are  Roman  boys  of  the  imperial 
family,  the  one  to  the  left  admirable  in  execu- 
tion. They  wear  the  golden  bulla  round  their 
necks,  which  marked  lads  of  noble  family ; the 
faces  and  figures  are  thoroughly  patrician. 
Windowless  wall,  members  of  the  imperial 
(Julian  and  Claudian)  family, — Agrippina,  Ti- 
berius, Drusus,  and  Germanicus,  etc.  ; Caligula, 
showing  incipient  traces  of  Caesarian  madness ; 
Octavia,  Antonia,  and  others.  Study  these 
carefully.  Then,  a most  malignant  Nero,  with 
less  unpleasant  ones  further : a Messalina,  whose 
gentleness  of  face  belies  her  reputation  ; a gran- 
diose Claudius  ; and  a selfish  Galba,  in  whom 
we  begin  to  see  traces  of  the  traits  produced  by 
ruthless  struggle  for  empire.  Near  him,  a vain- 
glorious Otho,  still  fine  and  classical.  Notice 
the  dainty  profiles  of  the  women.  All  the 
statues  and  busts  in  this  room,  indeed,  are  con- 
ceived in  the  fine  classical  spirit,  with  no  trace 
of  the  coming  decadence.  Most  of  them  have 
the  old  close-shaven,  clear-cut  Roman  features, 
contrasting  strongly  with  the  weaker,  bearded 


312 


Paris. 


types  we  shall  see  later.  By  the  window  wall, 
statues,  not  so  good,  of  the  coarse  bull-necked 
Vitellius;  hard,  practical,  businesslike  Vespasian  ; 
capable  Titus,  and  one  or  two  less  satisfactory 
busts  or  statues  of  Julius  Caesar.  Observe  even 
already  how  both  types  and  art  begin  to  shov/ 
less  perfect  finish.  The  men  are  more  vulgar ; 
the  artists  less  able. 

The  Salle  des  Antonins^  next,  contains  a fine 
series  of  busts  and  statues  of  this  second  pros- 
perous epoch  of  the  empire.  Facing  the  river, 
a very  noble  seated  portrait-statue  of  Trajan, 
contrasting  well  with  the  other  more  decadent 
emperors  at  the  further  end.  We  have  here 
still  the  old  Roman  severity,  and  the  close- 
shaven  type,  admirably  opposed  to  the  more 
sensuous  degenerate  faces  further  on,  which 
herald  the  decadence.  These  are  the  builders- 
up,  the  others  the  destroyers,  of  a great  empire. 
In  the  corner  close  by,  two  erect  Trajans. 
Notice  how  clear  an  idea  of  the  personalities 
of  the  emperors  comparison  of  these  statues 
and  busts  affords  one.  Close  to  the  archway, 
a beautiful  Faustina  Junior,  one  of  the  loveliest 
portrait-busts  of  the  second  Roman  period. 
Further  on,  bearded  and  weaker  emperors  of 


3^3 


Classical  Sculpture. 

the  Antonine  age  ; among  them,  a capital  Lucius 
Verus,  holding  the  orb  of  empire.  Near  it,  a 
fine  statue  of  the  philosophic  emperor,  Marcus 
Aurelius,  seen  here  rather  as  the  soldier  than 
as  the  sage.  In  the  centre,  the  same  emperor 
nude,  — or  rather,  a nude  figure,  on  which  his 
head  has  been  placed  by  a modem  restorer. 
By  the  middle  window,  colossal  busts  of  Lucius 
Verus  and  Marcus  Aurelius,  and  a very  big 
head  of  Lucilla,  wife  of  the  former.  These  all 
deserve  study,  by  comparison  with  the  simpler 
and  nobler  types  of  the  Julian  period. 

The  Salle  de  Sevhe  — age  of  the  early  deca- 
dence — contains  in  the  centre  a fine  statue 
of  the  emperor's  mother,  Julia  Mammaea, 
figured  after  the  common  fashion  as  Ceres,  — 
a half  deification.  Near  it,  another  (less  pleas- 
ing) bust  of  Antinous.  Excellent  statue  of 
Pertinax.  Round  the  walls,  portrait-busts  of  the 
Antonine  family  and  their  successors,  in  suffi- 
cient numbers  to  enable  one  to  form  clear  con- 
ceptions of  their  personality.  This  is  especially 
the  case  with  Caracalla  and  Plautilla,  by  the  last 
window  ; Septimius  Severus  himself,  — a weak 
face,  gaining  somewhat  with  age ; and  Lucius 
Verus,  selfishly  vicious,  with  a distinct  tinge 


314 


Paris. 


of  conscious  cruelty.  Near  the  last,  a fine 
portrait-statue  of  Faustina  Senior.  Beside  it, 
pleasing  bust  of  the  boy  Commodus ; his  sub- 
sequent development  may  be  traced  round  the 
rest  of  the  window.  All  these  busts,  again, 
should  be  viewed  by  the  light  of  their  dates ; 
they  are  identified  by  means  of  coins,  where 
the  same  faces  occur  with  their  names, — most 
interesting  for  comparison. 

The  Salle  de  la  Paix  contains  mixed  works, 
some  of  them  of  the  extreme  deeadence.  Among 
them,  a good  figure  of  Minerva  in  red  porphyry, 
the  flesh  portions  of  which  have  been  restored 
in  gilt  bronze.  By  the  window,  the  Emperor 
Titus,  as  Mars.  A half-length  of  Gordianus 
Pius  near  the  archway  is  an  unusually  fine  and 
classical  example  for  its  age.  Fine  figure  of 
Tranquillina,  his  wife,  and  nude  of  Pupianus, 
less  successful.  In  many  of  these  works  the 
decadence  triumphs. 

The  Salle  des  Saisons  contains  busts,  mostly 
of  the  extreme  decadence,  and  works  with  a 
semi-barbaric  tinge.  The  bust  of  Honorius, 
by  the  far  door,  shows  the  last  traces  of  classi- 
cal work  rapidly  passing  into  Byzantine  stiffness 
^ and  lifelessness.  Note  the  feebleness  of  the 


Classical  Sculpture,  315 

eyes  and  general  ineffectiveness  of  plastic  treat- 
ment. Eugenius,  opposite  him,  equally  displays 
decadence  in  a somewhat  different  direction, 
provincial  and  Gaulish,  foreshadowing  barbaric 
Romanesque  workmanship.  A fine  Muse,  how- 
ever, stands  next  to  Honorius.  There  are  also 
several  very  decent  reliefs  from  sarcophagi.  The 
figure  of  Tiridates,  wearing  the  barbaric  trousers, 
is  a fine  example  of  Greco-Roman  art  applied  to 
a member  of  an  alien  civilisation.  Close  to  it, 
the  famous  Mithra  of  the  Capitol,  stabbing 
a bull,  with  other  representations  of  the  same 
subject  beneath  and  beside  it.  These  reliefs  are 
extremely  illustrative  of  a most  interesting  phase 
of  the  later  empire.  Rome  was  then  a cosmo- 
politan city,  crowded  with  Syrians,  Jews,  Egyp- 
tians, Asiatic  Greeks,  and  other  Orientals. 
Many  of  these  people  introduced  into  Italy  and 
the  Provinces  the  worship  of  their  own  local 
deities : the  cult  of  Isis,  of  Serapis,  and  of  other 
Eastern  gods  competed  with  Christianity  for 
the  mastery  of  the  empire.  Among  these 
intrusive  religions,  one  of  the  most  successful 
was  the  worship  of  Mithra,  which  came  to 
Rome  indirectly  from  Persia,  and  directly  from 
the  southern  shores  of  the  Black  Sea.  The 


3i6 


Paris. 


mystic  deity  himself  is  always  represented  in  an 
underground  cave,  stabbing  a bull ; he  was  re- 
garded as  a personification  or  avatar  of  the  Sun 
God.  His  worship  spread  rapidly  to  every  part 
of  the  Roman  world,  and  was  immensely  pop- 
ular ; similar  reliefs  have  been  found  in  all 
Romanised  regions  from  Britain  to  North 
Africa.  The  best  of  those  in  this  room  comes 
from  the  cave  of  Mithra  in  the  Capitol  at  Rome 
itself,  where  the  Eastern  god  was  permitted 
even  to  invade  the  precincts  of  the  Capitoline 
Jupiter.  Notice  the  barbaric  Oriental  dress, 
and  the  voluptuous,  soft  Oriental  treatment ; 
also,  the  action  in  the  cave,  and  the  personages 
on  the  upper  earth  above  it.  Compare  all  these 
reliefs  with  one  another,  and  notice  their  origin 
as  given  on  the  labels.  Observe  also  the  close 
similarity  and  religious  fixity  of  the  representa- 
tions. They  should  be  studied  with  care,  as 
illustrative  of  the  conflict  of  new  religions  with 
old  in  the  Roman  Empire,  out  of  which  Christi- 
anity at  last  emerged  triumphant.  Their  number 
and  costliness  shows  the  strength  of  this  strange 
faith  ; their  inferior  art  betokens  both  Eastern 
influence,  and  the  approach  of  the  decadence. 
Compare  the  Oriental  tinge  in  the  Mithra 


SALLE  DES  CARYATIDES. 


Classical  Sculpture. 


317 


reliefs  with  that  of  some  early  Christian  works 
in  the  small  Christian  room  of  Renaissance 
sculpture. 

In  the  centre,  Roman  husband  and  wife,  in 
the  characters  of  Mars  and  Venus,  an  excellent 
and  characteristic  group  of  the  age  of  Hadrian  ; 
contrast  the  somewhat  debased  proportions  with 
those  we  have  seen  in  the  best  Greek  period. 
Round  the  wall  and  by  the  windows,  many 
inferior  portrait-busts  of  emperors  of  the  deca- 
dence ; observe  their  dates,  and  note  the  gradual 
decrease  in  art  and  truth,  and  the  slow  return 
to  something  resembling  archaic  stiffness.  We 
have  thus  followed  out  the  rise  and  culmination 
of  antique  art,  and  watched  its  return  to  primi- 
tive barbarity.  Conspicuous  among  the  works 
of  the  better  age  here  are  the  charming  features 
of  Julia  Mammaea,  wife  of  Alej^ander  Severus, 
especially  as  shown  in  the  bust  nearest  to  the 
first  window.  The  fine  Germanicus,  holding 
the  orb  of  empire,  is  also  an  excellent  example 
of  the  portrait  nude  of  the  best  period. 

Leave  this  portion  of  the  Museum  by  the 
Salle  des  Caryatides  beyond,  so  called  from 
the  famous  caryatides  by  Jean  Goujon  (French 
Renaissance ; see  later),  which  support  the  bal- 


cony  at  its  further  end,  — very  noble  examples 
of  the  revived  antique  of  the  age  of  Francois 
— majestic  in  their  serenity.  Above  them  is 
a cast  from  Cellini’s  Nymph  of  Fontainebleau, 
to  be  noticed  later.  The  room  contains  good 
Greek  and  Roman  work  of  the  culminating 
periods.  In  the  vestibule  to  the  left,  by  the 
window,  the  * Borghese  Hermaphrodite,  a va- 
riant on  the  Velletri  type,  voluptuous  and 
rounded,  belonging  to  the  latest  Greek  period ; 
the  mattress  was  added  (with  disastrous  effect) 
by  Bernini.  In  the  body  of  the  hall  is  a colossal 
Jupiter  of  Versailles,  an  impressive  Hermes- 
figure.  To  the  left,  a noble  and  characteristic 
* Demosthenes.  In  the  centre,  Hermes  and 
Apollo  of  the  school  of  Praxiteles  : boy  fastening 
his  sandals.  Dionysus,  known  as  the  Richelieu 
Bacchus.  By  the  right  wall.  Aphrodite  at  the 
bath,  in  a crouching  attitude ; a nymph  is 
supposed  to  be  pouring  water  over  her.  All 
the  works  in  this  room  deserve  examination ; 
they  are  sufficiently  described,  however,  by  the 
labels. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


RENAISSANCE  SCULPTURE. 

HIS  collection,  one  of  the  most  important 


JL  and  interesting  among  the  treasures  of 
the  Louvre,  occupies  a somewhat  unobtrusive 
suite  of  rooms  on  the  ground  floor,  and  is  there- 
fore too  little  visited  by  most  passing  tourists. 
It  contains  three  separate  sets  of  plastic  work : 
first,  sculpture  of  the  Italian  Renaissance,  on 
which  the  French  was  mainly  based ; second, 
sculpture  of  the  Middle  Ages  in  France,  leading 
gradually  up  to  the  age  of  Francois  1%  and 
improving  as  it  goes,  though  uninfluenced  as 
yet  by  external  models ; third,  and  most  impor- 
tant of  all,  in  Paris  at  least,  the  exquisite 
sculpture  of  the  French  Renaissance,  a revolt 
from  mediaevalism,  inspired  from  above  by  kings 
and  nobles,  based  partly  on  direct  study  of  the 
antique  (many  specimens  of  which  were  brought 
to  France  by  Francois  F^),  but  still  more 


320 


Paris. 


largely  on  Italian  models,  made  familiar  to 
French  students  through  the  work  of  artists 
invited  to  the  court  under  the  later  Valois,  as 
well  as  through  the  Italian  wars  of  Charles 
VIII.,  Louis  XIL,  and  Francois  P'"  (of  which 
last  more  must  be  said  when  we  visit  St.  Denis). 
At  least  one  whole  day  should  be  devoted  by 
every  one  to  this  fascinating  collection  : those 
who  can  afford  the  time  should  come  here  often, 
and  study  au  fo7td  the  exquisite  works  of  Dona- 
tello, Michael  Angelo,  and  (most  of  all)  Jean 
Goujon,  Germain  Pilon,  and  their  great  French 
contemporaries.  The  Italians  can  be  seen  to 
greater  advantage  at  Florence  and  elsewhere ; 
only  here  can  one  form  a just  idea  of  the  beauty 
and  importance  of  the  French  Renaissance. 

Enter  by  Door  D,  in  Baedeker’s  plan,  — centre 
of  the  southeastern  wing  in  the  (old)  Cour  du 
Louvre.  Pass  straight  through  the  vestibule, 
and  Salle  de  Jean  Goujon  ; then  turn  to  your 
right,  traversing  the  Salle  de  Michel  Ange,  and 
enter  that  of  the  Italian  Renaissance  (numbered 
VI.  officially). 

The  Renaissance  in  France  being  entirely 
based  upon  that  in  Italy,  we  have  first  to 
observe  (especially  in  the  case  of  those  who 


321 


Renaissance  Sculpture. 

have  not  already  visited  Venice  and  Florence) 
what  was  the  character  of  the  Italian  works 
upon  which  the  French  sculptors  and  architects 
based  themselves.  Here  you  get,  as  it  were, 
the  original:  in  French  sculpture,  the  copy. 
This  small  hall  — the  hall  of  Donatello  — con- 
tains works  of  sculpture  of  the  thirteenth  to  the 
fifteenth  centuries  in  Italy.  Contrast  it  mentally 
with  the  purely  mediaeval  objects  which  you  saw 
at  Cluny,  unrelieved  for  the  most  part  by  clas- 
sical example,  in  order  to  measure  the  distance 
which  separates  the  Italians  of  this  epoch  from 
their  contemporaries  north  of  the  Alps.  Rec- 
ollect, too,  that  the  Italian  Renaissance  grew 
of  itself  from  within,  while  the  French  was  an 
artificially  cultivated  exotic. 

On  the  right  and  left  of  the  door  are  early 
squat  figures  of  Strength  and  Prudence,  Italian 
sculpture  of  the  thirteenth  century,  still  exhib- 
iting many  Gothic  characteristics,  but  with  a 
nascent  striving  after  higher  truth  which  began 
with  the  school  of  the  Pisani  at  Pisa.  Opposite 
them.  Justice  and  Temperance,  completing  the 
set  of  the  four  cardinal  virtues.  These  may  be 
looked  upon  as  the  point  of  departure.  They 
show  the  first  germ  of  Renaissance  feeling. 


322 


Paris. 


Left  of  doorway,  good  Madonna  from  Ravenna ; 
flanked  by  two  innocent-faced  angels,  in  deacon’s 
dress,  drawing  aside  a curtain  from  a tomb,  — 
beautiful  work  of  the  Pisan  school  of  the  four- 
teenth century  : contrasted  with  the  best  French 
reliefs  at  Cluny  (such  as  the  legend  of  St. 
Elustace),  these  works  exhibit  the  early  advance 
of  art  in  Italy.  Between  them  (contrasting 
well  with  the  early  French  style,  as  much  more 
idealised),  terra-cotta  painted  Madonna  and 
Child.  Beneath,  good  Madonna  in  wood,  and 
painted  gesso  Madonnas,  later.  Near  the  win- 
dow, beautiful  bust  of  a child,  by  Donatello, 
exhibiting  the  exquisite  unconscious  naivete  of 
the  early  Renaissance.  Most  of  these  works 
are  so  fully  described  on  their  pedestals  that  I 
shall  only  call  attention  to  a few  characteristics. 
The  emaciated  figure  of  the  Magdalen,  in  a 
Glory  of  Cherubs,  below,  is  the  conventional 
representation  of  that  saint,  when  a penitent  in 
Provence,  being  daily  raised  aloft  to  the  beatific 
vision  : many  examples  occur  at  Florence.  The 
beautiful  little  terra-cotta  Madonna  under  a can- 
opy close  by  is  admirable  in  feeling.  Opposite 
it,  characteristic  decorative  work  of  the  Renais^ 
sance.  Then,  **  Donatello’s  naif  Young  St. 


323 


Renaissance  Sculpture. 

John,  the  patron  saint  of  Florence,  is  another 
exquisite  example  of  this  beautiful  sculptor. 
The  open  mouth  is  typical.  A Lucretia,  near 
it,  indicates  the  general  tendency  to  imitate  the 
antique,  still  more  marked  in  the  relief  of  a 
funeral  ceremony,  where  the  boy  to  the  right  is 
especially  pleasing.  Do  not  overlook  a single 
one  of  the  Madonnas  in  this  delightful  room  : 
the  one  above  the  funeral  relief,  though  skied,  is 
particularly  pleasing.  Even  the  large  painted 
wooden  Sienese  Madonna  in  the  centre,  though 
the  merest  church  furniture,  has  the  redeeming 
touch  of  Italian  idealism.  The  busts  of  Roman 
emperors,  imitated  after  the  antique,  betray  on 
the  other  hand  the  true  spring  of  Renaissance 
impulse. 

The  room  beyond,  to  the  right  — No.  VII.  — 
is  filled  for  the  most  part  with  fine  coloured 
terra-cottas  or  majolicas  of  the  school  of  Della 
Robbia.  Centre  of  left  wall,  at  the  end  (as  you 
enter),  Madonna  and  Child,  with  St.  Roch  show- 
ing his  plague  spot,  and  St.  Francis  pointing  to 
the  stigma  in  his  side,  — a votive  offering.  Fine 
nude  figure,  to  the  left  of  it,  of  Friendship,  by 
Olivieri.  Exquisite  little  cherubs  and  angels. 
Bronze  busts,  instinct  with  Renaissance  feeling 


324 


Paris. 


Window  wall,  — centre,  — a Della  Robbia  of  the 
Agony  in  the  Garden  : the  arrangement  is  con- 
ventional, and  occurs  in  many  other  works  in 
this  gallery.  It  is  flanked  by  two  good  Apostles 
of  the  Pisan  school  (the  first  to  imitate  the 
antique)  from  the  Cathedral  of  Florence.  On 
the  far  left  a voluptuous  figure  of  Nature  by 
Tribolo,  from  Fontainebleau,  characteristic  of 
the  works  collected  by  Francois  On  the 
right  wall,  several  Madonnas,  all  of  which  should 
be  closely  studied.  In  the  centre,  terra-cotta 
of  the  school  of  Donatello.  To  the  right  and 
left  of  it,  fine  busts  of  the  Italian  Renaissance, 
with  most  typical  faces.  Near  the  door,  portrait- 
statue  of  Louis  XII.  by  Lorenzo  da  Mugiano ; 
this  king  was  the  precursor  of  the  French  Re- 
naissance : note  the  fine  decorative  work  on  his 
greaves  and  knee-caps.  In  the  centre,  a fine 
St.  Christopher,  his  face  distorted  by  the  weight 
of  the  (non-existent)  Christ  Child.  I note  these 
in  particular,  but  all  the  works  in  these  two 
rooms  should  be  closely  followed,  both  as  exhib- 
iting the  development  from  traditional  forms, 
and  as  illustrating  the  style  of  art  on  which  the 
French  Renaissance  was  grafted.  Notice,  for 
instance  (as  survival,  modified),  the  quaint  little 


LORENZO  DA  MUGIANO.  — LOUIS  XII. 


- OFTHS  *' 
tIKKOIS 


Renaissance  Sculpture.  325 

St.  Catherine,  in  the  corner  by  the  window, 
bearing  her  wheel,  and  laying  her  hand  with  a 
caressing  gesture  on  the  donor, — a special 
votary,  evidently.  Observe,  again,  the  three 
little  scenes  from  the  life  of  St.  Anne,  in  gilt 
wood,  under  the  large  Della  Robbia  of  the 
Ascension,  on  the  wall  opposite  the  windows. 
They  represent  respectively  the  Rejection  of 
Joachim’s  Offering  (he  is  expelled  from  the 
Temple  by  the  High  Priest,  because  he  is  child- 
less : notice  his  servant  carrying  the  lamb  for 
sacrifice)  ; the  Birth  of  the  Virgin  (with  the 
usual  details  of  St.  Anne  in  bed  washing  her 
hands,  the  bath  for  the  infant,  and  the  attend- 
ant bringing  in  a roast  chicken  to  the  mother) ; 
and  the  Meeting  of  Joachim  and  Anne  at  the 
Golden  Gate, — a scene  which  you  may  often 
recognise  elsewhere  (it  comes  immediately  after 
the  first,  the  Birth  being  interposed  as  principal 
subject ; the  servant  here  bears  the  rejected 
lamb  less  ceremonially).  Beneath  them,  once 
more,  a characteristically  dainty  St.  George  and 
the  Dragon  — with  the  beautiful  princess  most 
heartlessly  fleeing  (as  always)  in  the  distance  — 
should  be  carefully  noted  for  comparison  later 
with  Michel  Colombe  and  Raphael  (St.  George’s 


Paris. 


326 

lance  is  accidentally  broken : you  can  still  see 
the  stump  of  it).  To  the  left,  again,  is  a beau- 
tiful Tabernacle  of  the  Della  Robbia  school,  — 
angels  guarding  relics.  To  the  right,  a terra- 
cotta angel,  most  graceful  and  beautiful. 
Further  left,  charming  Madonna:  I need  hardly 
call  attention  to  the  frames  of  fruit,  which  were 
a Della  Robbia  specialty.  Further  to  the  right. 
Baptism  of  Clovis,  gilt,  and  very  spirited,  though 
overcrowded.  Do  not  overlook  the  skied  St. 
Sebastian. 

The  little  room  beyond  again  contains  a small 
but  interesting  collection  of  early  Christian 
works,  which  must  be  visited  and  studied  on 
some  other  occasion.  These  very  ancient  Chris- 
tian sculptures,  antique  in  conception,  antedate 
the  rise  of  the  conventional  representations. 

Now  return  through  Room  VI.  to  the  Salle  de 
Michel  Ange  (Room  V.),  containing  for  the  most 
part  still  more  developed  works  of  the  Italian 
Renaissance,  which  therefore  stand  more  di- 
rectly in  connection  with  French  sculpture  of 
that  and  the  succeeding  period.  The  * door- 
way by  which  we  enter  is  a splendid  specimen 
of  a decorated  Italian  Renaissance  portal,  re- 
moved from  the  Palazzo  Stanga  at  Cremona ; it 


327 


Renaissance  Sculpture. 

was  executed  by  the  brothers  Rodari  at  the  end 
of  the  fifteenth  century,  and  is  decorated  with 
medallions  of  Roman  emperors,  a figure  of 
Hercules  (the  mythical  founder  of  Cremona), 
and  of  Perseus,  together  with  reliefs  from  the 
myths  of  those  heroes  and  others.  Identify 
these.  Above  the  name  of  Perseus,  for  example 
(to  the  right),  is  a relief  representing  the  three 
Gorgons  and  the  head  of  Pegasus.  Above  that 
of  Hercules  (to  the  left)  are  the  heads  of  the 
Hydra  which  he  slew  (as  also  represented  in  a 
bronze  on  the  end  wall  not  far  from  it).  This 
gateway  you  should  mentally  compare,  when 
you  visit  the  Ecole  des  Beaux- Arts,  with  that 
of  Diane  de  Poitiers's  Chateau  d'Anet,  now 
erected  in  the  courtyard,  and  with  the  fagade  of 
the  Chateau  de  Gaillon  at  the  same  place.  The 
beautiful  Italian  Renaissance  fountain  in  the 
centre  of  the  room  comes  itself  from  the  same 
Chateau  de  Gaillon  : it  was  given  to  Cardinal 
d'Amboise  (who  built  the  chateau)  by  the  Re- 
public of  Venice. 

The  most  beautiful  works  in  this  room,  how- 
ever, are  the  two  so-called  * Fettered  Slaves,  by 
Michael  Angelo,  — in  reality  figures  of  the 
Virtues,  designed  for  the  monument  of  Julius 


328 


Paris. 


II.  It  was  Michael  Angelo’s  fate  seldom  to 
finish  anything  he  began.  This  splendid  monu- 
ment, interrupted  by  the  too  early  death  of  the 
Pope  who  commissioned  it,  was  to  have  embraced 
(among  other  features)  figures  of  the  Virtues, 
doomed  to  extinction  by  the  death  of  the  pon- 
tiff. These  are  two  of  them  : the  one  to  the 
right,  unfinished,  is  of  less  interest : **  that  to 
the  left,  completed,  is  of  the  exquisite  beauty 
which  this  sculptor  often  gave  to  nude  youthful 
male  figures.  They  represent  the  culminating 
point  of  the  Italian  Renaissance,  and  should  be 
compared  with  the  equally  lovely  sculptures  of 
the  Medici  tombs  in  San  Lorenzo  at  Florence. 
Observe  them  well  as  typical  examples  of 
Michael  Angelo’s  gigantic  power  and  mastery 
over  marble. 

You  will  note  in  the  windows  close  by  sev- 
eral exquisite  bronze  reliefs ; eight  of  them,  by 
Riccio,  are  from  the  monument  of  the  famous 
anatomist,  Della  Torre,  representing  his  life 
and  death  in  very  classical  detail.  (Left-hand 
window)  Della  Torre  lecturing  at  Verona;  dan- 
gerously ill ; sacrifice  to  the  gods  for  his  re- 
covery ; his  death  and  mourning : (right-hand 
window)  his  obsequies ; passage  of  the  soul  (as 


MICHAEL  ANGELO.  — FETTERED  SLAVE. 


329 


Renaissance  Sculpture. 

a naked  child  with  a book)  in  Charon's  boat 
(pursued  by  Furies) ; apotheosis  (crowned  by 
Fame)  ; and  celebrity  of  the  deceased  on  earth  ; 
all  designed  in  a thoroughly  antique  manner. 
(Souls  of  the  recently  dead  are  frequently  rep- 
resented leaving  the  body  like  new-born  chil- 
dren.) This  work  shows  the  Renaissance  not 
only  as  secular  and  humanist,  but  even  as  pagan  ; 
early  ages  would  have  considered  such  treat- 
ment impious.  All  the  other  reliefs  in  this 
very  important  room  should  be  carefully  noted. 
By  this  (right-hand)  window,  the  Annunciation 
(from  Cremona) ; Judgment  of  Solomon  (now 
wholly  conceived  in  the  classical  spirit) ; Ado- 
ration of  the  Magi,  in  bronze ; figures  of  Galba 
and  Faustina,  entirely  antique  in  tone  ; Paul 
shaking  off  the  snake,  etc.  A portrait  medal- 
lion of  Ludovico  il  Moro  of  Milan  (also  by  this 
window)  may  be  instructively  compared  with 
those  in  contemporary  Italian  paintings  up-stairs. 
The  next  (left-hand)  window  (with  a rosso  antico 
and  marble  imitation  of  the  Wolf  of  the  Capitol) 
contains  the  beginning  of  the  reliefs  from  the 
tomb  of  Della  Torre,  in  the  same  classical  style, 
together  with  two  exquisite  Madonnas  by  Mino 
da  Fiesole,  and  other  charming  works  of  the 


Paris. 


same  period.  The  infantile  simplicity  of  Mino 
has  an  unspeakable  attraction.  Between  the 
windows,  a Pieta  from  Vicenza,  with  St.  Je- 
rome, beating  his  breast,  as  always,  with  a stone, 
and  St.  Augustin  (I  think)  writing.  On  the 
far  wall,  note  a fine  wooden  Annunciation  in 
two  figures,  from  Pisa,  of  the  Florentine  four- 
teenth century.  The  angel  Gabriel  and  the 
Madonna  are  frequently  thus  separated.  Be- 
tween them  admirable  equestrian  figure  of  Rob- 
ert Malatesta,  of  Rimini,  where  the  action  of 
the  horse  is  particularly  spirited.  Fine  bust 
of  Philippo  Strozzi,  by  Benedetto  da  Majano, 
on  a pedestal  close  by.  (You  will  find  many 
works  by  this  artist  for  this  patron  at  Florence.) 
The  various  Virgins  on  the  right  wall  should 
also  be  carefully  studied,  as  well  as  the  fine 
wooden  Circumcision, — a good  rendering  of 
the  traditional  scene,  where  the  artist  triumphs 
over  his  intractable  material,  — and  the  exquis- 
itely dainty  bust  of  the  Florentine  **  Baptist, 
instinct  with  the  tender  simplicity  of  Mino  da 
Fiesole,  whose  decorative  fragments  above  must 
not  be  overlooked.  Do  not  leave  this  room 
without  having  carefully  examined  everything 
it  contains,  as  every  object  is  deserving  of  study. 


Renaissance  Sculpture.  331 

[For  instance,  I have  omitted  to  mention  works 
so  fine  as  the  self-explanatory  High  Renaissance 
Jason,  the  relief  of  Julius  Caesar,  the  splendid 
bust  of  Beatrice  d’Este  (see  for  this  family  the 
Perugino,  etc.,  up-stairs),  and  the  spirited  bronze 
of  Michael  Angelo,  lined  with  the  lines  of  a 
thinker  who  has  struggled  and  suffered.  Fi- 
nally, sit  long  on  the  bench  between  the 
windows,  and  look  well  at  the  Nymph  of  Fon- 
tainebleau, with  stag  and  wild  boar,  by  Benve- 
nuto Cellini,  the  great  Florentine  metal-worker 
whom  Francois  commissioned  to  produce 
this  work  for  Fontainebleau.  (But  Henri  II. 
gave  it  instead  to  Diane  de  Poitiers,  for  her 
Chateau  d’Anet.)  Cellini’s  work  gave  an  im- 
mense impetus  to  French  sculpture,  and  it  is 
largely  on  his  style  that  Jean  Goujon  and  the 
great  French  sculptors  we  have  shortly  to 
examine  formed  their  conceptions.  Voluptuous 
and  overlithe,  this  fine  relief  is  a splendid  exam- 
ple of  its  able,  unscrupulous,  deft-handed  artist, 
— seldom  powerful  or  deep,  yet  always  exquis- 
ite in  tone  and  perfect  in  handicraft. 

Now,  in  order  to  form  a just  conception  of 
the  rise  of  the  French  school  of  sculpture,  trav- 
erse the  Salle  de  Jean  Goujon  and  the  other 


332 


Paris. 


rooms  which  succeed  it,  till  you  come  to  the 
last  room  of  the  suite,  — officially  No.  L,  — the 
Salle  d’ Andre  Beauneveu.  This  vault-like  hall 
contains  works  of  the  early  French  school  of 
the  thirteenth,  fourteenth,  and  fifteenth  centu- 
ries, still  for  the  most  part  purely  Gothic,  and 
uninfluenced  in  any  way  by  Italian  models. 
Among  them  we  notice,  at  the  far  end  of  the 
room,  near  the  door  which  leads  into  the  Egyp- 
tian Museum,  several  statuettes  of  Our  Lady 
and  Child,  of  a character  with  which  Cluny  has 
already  made  us  acquainted.  Invariably  crowned 
and  noble,  they  represent  the  Madonna  as  the 
Queen  of  Heaven,  not  the  peasant  of  Bethle- 
hem. This  regal  conception,  and,  still  more, 
the  faint  simper,  are  intensely  French,  and 
mark  them  off  at  once  from  most  Italian  Ma- 
donnas. Further  on,  by  the  end  window,  the 
figures  of  angels,  of  St.  John  Baptist,  and  of  a 
nameless  king,  are  also  thoroughly  French  in 
character ; while  the  dainty  little  Burgundian 
choir  of  angels,  holding,  as  they  sing,  a scroll 
with  a Gloria,  is  in  type  half  German.  Note 
also  the  numerous  recumbent  effigies  from 
tombs,  among  the  best  of  which  are  those  of 
Catherine  d'Alengon  and  of  Anne  of  Burgundy, 


333 


Renaissance  Sculpture. 

Duchess  of  Bedford.  The  tombs  at  this  end 
have  still  the  stiff  formality  of  the  early  Gothic 
period.  The  strange  recumbent  figure  in  the 
centre,  supported  by  most  funereal  mourners 
(placed  too  low  to  be  seen  properly),  is  the 
tomb  of  Philippe  Pot,  Grand  Seneschal  of  Bur- 
gundy under  John  the  Good,  from  the  Abbey  of 
Citeaux.  Such  mourners  are  characteristic  of 
the  monumental  art  of  Burgundy.  One  more 
occurs  under  a canopy  near  the  middle  window ; 
you  will  recollect  to  have  seen  others  (from  the 
tomb  of  Philippe  le  Hardi)  at  Cluny.  Further 
on  in  the  room  we  get  more  Madonnas,  whose 
marked  French  type  you  will  now  be  able 
to  recognise.  Good  recumbent  figures  of  a 
bishop,  and  of  Philip  VI.,  sufficiently  described 
by  the  labels,  and  other  excellent  statues,  one 
of  the  best  of  which  is  the  child  in  the  centre. 
The  king  and  queen  by  the  doorway  are  also 
fine  examples  of  the  art  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury. Notice  the  dates  of  all  these  figures,  as 
given  by  the  labels,  and  convince  yourself  from 
them  (as  you  can  do  still  more  fully  in  the  next 
room,  that  French  art  itself  made  a domestic 
advance  from  the  eleventh  century,  onward, 
wholly  independent  of  Italian  influence.  This 


334 


Paris. 


advance  was  due  in  the  main  to  national  devel 
opment,  and  to  the  slow  recovery  of  trade  and 
handicraft  from  the  barbarian  irruption.  What 
was  peculiar  to  Italy  was  the  large  survival  of 
antique  works,  which  the  school  of  Pisa,  and 
others  after  them,  strove  to  imitate.  In  France, 
till  Francois  Pb  no  such  classical  influence 
intervenes ; the  development  is  all  home-made 
and  organic.  But  if  you  contrast  the  busts  by 
the  west  doorway,  or  the  tombstone  of  Pierre 
de  Fayet,  near  them,  with  the  ruder  work  by 
the  first  window  in  the  next  room,  the  reality  of 
this  advance  will  become  at  once  apparent  to 
you.  The  artists,  though  still  hampered  by  tra- 
dition, are  striving  to  attain  higher  perfection 
and  greater  truth  to  nature.  Do  not  miss  in 
this  connection  the  excellent  wooden  Flagella- 
tion by  the  middle  window,  nor  the  Madonna 
opposite  it ; nor  the  donor  and  donatrix  close 
by ; nor  the  fine  mutilated  Annunciation  (with 
lily  between  the  figures)  by  the  west  window ; 
nor  the  well-carved  Nativity  (clearly  Flemish, 
however)  near  the  seat  by  the  doorway.  In 
this  last,  observe  the  quaint  head-dress  of  the 
donatrix  in  the  background  (an  unusual  position), 
as  well  as  the  conventional  ox  and  ass,  and  the 


Renaissance  Sculpture.  335 

Three  Kings  approaching  in  the  upper  right- 
hand  corner,  balanced  by  the  shepherds  lis- 
tening to  the  angels.  St.  Joseph’s  candle  is, 
however,  a novelty.  I merely  note  these  points 
to  show  how  much  there  may  often  be  in  seem- 
ingly unimportant  objects.  This  is  officially 
called  an  Adoration  of  the  Shepherds,  but,  if 
you  look  into  it,  you  will  see,  erroneously.  The 
person  entering  from  behind  is  a mere  modern 
spectator.  Study  well  the  works  in  this  room 
and  the  next,  regarded  as  a starting-point. 

In  the  passage  leading  into  the  next  room  are 
a truncated  statue  of  St.  Denis,  from  his  Basilica 
(to  be  visited  later),  and,  beyond  it,  a group  of 
Hell  from  the  same  church.  Notice  the  usual 
realistic  jaws  of  death,  vomiting  flame  and 
swallowing  the  wicked.  Observe  also  that 
souls  are  always  represented  as  nude.  Oppo- 
site this,  a mutilated  fragment  of  St.  Denis 
bearing  his  head,  and  accompanied  by  his  two 
deacons,  St.  Rusticus  and  St.  Eleutherius.  I 
have  not  hitherto  called  attention  to  these  two 
attendant  deacons,  but  you  will  find  them  pres- 
ent in  almost  all  representations  of  St.  Denis. 
(Look  for  them  among  the  paintings.)  Try  to 
build  up  your  knowledge  in  this  way,  by  adding 


336 


Paris. 


point  to  point  as  you  proceed,  and  afterward 
returning  to  works  earlier  visited,  which  will 
gain  fresh  light  by  comparison  with  those  seen 
during  your  more  recent  investigations. 

Enter  Room  II.  : Salle  du  Moyen  Age.  No- 
tice, first,  the  fragments  by  the  window  ; those 
numbered  19  to  22  are  good  typical  examples 
of  the  rude  work  of  the  Romanesque  period 
(tenth  to  twelfth  centuries).  23,  beside  them, 
shows  the  improvement  which  came  in  with  the 
Gothic  epoch,  as  well  as  the  distinctive  Gothic 
tone  in  execution,  — softer  and  rounder,  with 
just  a touch  of  foolish  infantile  simplicity  or 
inanity.  Observe  all  the  other  heads  here,  and 
compare  their  dates,  as  shown  on  the  labels. 
Two  beautiful  angels,  from  the  tomb  of  the 
brother  of  St.  Louis,  will  indicate  this  gradual 
advance  in  execution,  wholly  anterior  to  any 
Renaissance  influence.  On  the  right  side  of 
the  window,  notice  particularly  an  admirable 
head  of  the  Virgin,  76,  and  another  near  it, 
from  the  cathedral  of  S6es.  On  the  pillar,  St. 
Denis  bearing  his  head.  Every  one  of  these 
capitals  and  heads  should  be  closely  noted,  with 
reference  to  the  dates  shown  on  the  label.  In 
the  little  Madonna  on  the  left-hand  window, 


337 


Renaissance  Sculpture. 

observe  a nascent  attempt  to  introduce  an  ele- 
ment of  playfulness  which  is  characteristically 
French.  This  increases  later.  It  develops  into 
the  grace  — the  somewhat  meretricious  grace 
— of  more  recent  French  sculpture. 

Now  turn  to  the  body  of  the  room.  On  the 
right  wall,  53,  an  excellent  angel.  Beyond  it, 
the  Preaching  of  St.  Denis  ; observe  that  he  is 
here  attended  by  his  two  faithful  deacons  ; the 
gateway  indicates  that  he  preaches  at  Paris. 
Such  little  side-indications  are  common  in  early 
art  : look  out  for  them.  Above  it,  Christ  in 
Hades,  redeeming  Adam  and  Eve,  as  the  first- 
fruits  of  the  souls,  from  Limbo  ; the  devil  bound 
in  chains  on  the  ground  beneath  them  ; you  saw 
several  similar  works  at  Cluny.  Further  on, 
another  Madonna  and  Child,  with  the  same  at- 
tempt at  playfulness ; notice  here  Our  Lady's 
slight  simper,  a very  French  feature  ; the  Child 
carries  a goldfinch,  which  you  will  frequently 
find,  if  you  look  for  it,  in  other  representations, 
both  French  and  Italian.  The  coloured  relief 
of  Pilate  recalls  those  in  the  ambulatory  at 
Notre-Dame.  (Read  in  every  case  the  date 
and  place  whence  brought  here.)  Beneath  it 
are  the  Flagellation,  Bearing  of  the  Cross, 


338 


Paris. 


Crucifixion,  and  Entombment,  which  may  be 
profitably  compared  with  other  examples. 

(If,  after  observing  the  French  type  of  Ma- 
donna in  these  rooms,  and  the  few  Burgundian 
works  they  contain,  you  have  time  to  revisit 
the  mediaeval  sculpture  at  Cluny,  — Room  VI., 
ground  floor,  — as  I strongly  advise  you  to  do, 
you  will  find  that  Burgundian  art  in  the  Middle 
Ages  was  quite  distinct  from  French,  and  had 
types  of  its  own,  approximating  to  the  flemish, 
and  still  more  to  the  German.  This  is  well 
seen  in  the  Burgundian  Madonna  and  St. 
Catherine  at  Cluny.  For  study  of  the  style, 
it  is  a good  plan  to  stop  at  Dijon  on  your  way 
to  or  from  Switzerland.) 

The  end  of  the  room  is  occupied  by  a Gothic 
doorway  from  a house  in  Valencia  (Spain),  which 
may  be  contrasted  with  the  scarcely  later  Re- 
naissance example  from  the  Palazzo  Stanga. 
On  its  top  is  an  Annunciation,  representations 
of  which  are  frequent  in  similar  situations ; we 
saw  one  on  the  fagade  of  St.  Etienne  du  Mont ; 
in  such  cases,  the  Madonna  is  almost  always 
separated  by  some  form  of  wall,  door,  or  orna- 
ment from  the  angel  Gabriel ; here,  the  finial 
represents  the  usual  pot  of  lilies.  Below  it, 


Renaissance  Sculpture.  339 

a very  characteristic  French  Madonna,  again 
slightly  smirking,  and  with  the  Child  bearing 
the  goldfinch.  Note  once  more  the  royal  air, 
the  affected  lady-like  manner,  given  to  the 
Madonna  in  early  French  sculpture  and  paint- 
ing. To  its  left  is  a similar  regal  painted  Ma- 
donna. To  the  right,  gorgeous  coloured  statue 
of  King  Childebert,  of  the  thirteenth  century  : 
this  once  stood  at  the  entrance  to  the  beautiful 
refectory  of  the  Abbey  of  St.  Germain-des-Pres 
(see  later),  which  Childebert  founded,  and  where 
the  king  was  buried.  Left  wall,  fragment  of 
a coloured  stone  relief,  Judas  Receiving  Payment, 
of  the  same  type  as  those  in  Notre-Dame.  Fur- 
ther on,  a similar  Kiss  of  Judas.  (Compare 
this  with  several  specimens  at  Cluny.)  The 
mutilated  state  of  many  of  these  fragments  is 
in  several  instances  due  to  the  Revolution.  All 
the  other  statues  and  fragments  in  this  com- 
partment should  be  carefully  examined,  includ- 
ing the  strange  scene  from  a Hell,  and  the  stiff 
wooden  Madonna,  on  pedestals  in  the  centre. 
By  the  doorway,  painted  Virgin  and  Child,  — 
the  Madonna  under  a little  canopy,  and  very 
typical  of  French  conceptions. 

Room  III.,  Salle  de  Michel  Colombo,  repre- 


340 


Paris. 


sents  the  advance  made  in  French  plastic  art 
during  the  last  half  of  the  fifteenth  century, 
and  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  in 
some  cases  independently  of  the  Italian  Re- 
naissance. The  bust  of  Francois  in  bronze, 
on  a pedestal  near  the  door,  may  be  compared, 
both  for  spirit  and  likeness,  with  the  (very 
wooden)  contemporary  portraits  of  the  same 
king  in  the  French  school  up-stairs.  It  has 
all  the  stiffness  and  archaic  fidelity  of  early 
portraiture,  with  the  usual  lack  of  artistic 
finish.  Note  such  little  points  as  that  the 
king  wears  the  collar  of  his  order,  with  the 
St.  Michael  of  France  as  a pendant.  Near 
the  window  fragments  of  work  displaying 
Renaissance  influence.  One,  a relief  of  the 
Return  of  the  Master,  from  the  Chateau  de 
Gaillon  (built  by  Cardinal  d'Amboise,  minister 
of  Louis  XII.,  and  one  of  the  great  patrons  of 
the  Renaissance  in  France),  exhibits  the  be- 
ginning of  a taste  for  secular,  domestic,  and 
rustic  subjects,  which  later  became  general. 
(Early  work  is  all  sacred,  — then  comes  myth- 
ical ; lastly,  human  and  contemporary.)  Note, 
on  the  opposite  side,  the  fine  bronze  of  Henri 
Blondel  de  Rocquencourt,  under  Henri  H. 


Renaissance  Sculpture.  341 

The  Apollo  and  Marsyas  is  strongly  Renais- 
sance,— a mythic  subject  (see  the  Perugino 
up-stairs).  The  Massacre  of  the  Innocents 
exhibits  Renaissance  treatment  of  a scriptural 
scene.  The  centre  of  the  room  is  occupied  by 
fine  bronzes  of  the  school  of  Giovanni  da 
Bologna,  a Frenchman  who  worked  in  Italy 
and  forms  a link  between  the  art  of  the  two 
countries.  Observe  the  decorative  French 
slenderness  and  coquetry  of  form,  combined 
with  the  influence  of  the  Italian  Renaissance. 
The  Mercury  — light  and  airy  — is  a replica 
of  Giovanni  da  Bologna’s  own  famous  statue 
in  the  Bargello  at  Florence.  The  Mercury 
and  Psyche  beside  it  is  a splendid  example  of 
Giovanni  da  Bologna’s  school,  by  Adrian  de 
Vries.  Notice  the  French  tinge  in  the  volup- 
tuous treatment  of  the  nude,  and  the  slender- 
ness and  grace  of  the  limbs.  The  bronze  statue 
of  Fame,  from  the  tomb  of  the  Due  d’Epernon, 
exhibits  in  a less  degree  the  same  characteristics. 
It  is  obviously  suggested  by  Giovanni’s  Mercury. 

Along  the  wall  to  the  left,  the  most  notice- 
able work  is  the  splendid  marble  relief  of 
St.  George,  by  the  great  French  sculptor  Michel 
Colombe,  produced  for  the  chapel  of  the  Cha- 


342 


Paris. 


teau  de  Gaillon ; recollect  all  these  Gaillon 
objects,  and  their  connection  with  one  another; 
the  chateau  was  erected  under  Louis  XII.,  at 
the  dawn  of  the  French  Renaissance,  and  much 
of  its  work,  like  this  fine  relief,  shows  a consid- 
erable surviving  Gothic  feeling.  You  will  see 
the  facade  of  the  chateau  later  at  the  ficole 
des  Beaux-Arts.  It  is  interesting  to  compare 
this  splendid , piece  of  sculpture  with  the  little 
Della  Robbia  in  the  Italian  rooms,  and  the 
painting  by  Raphael  up-stairs : the  dragon 
here  is  a fearsome  and  very  mediaeval  mon- 
ster, but  the  St.  George  and  his  horse  are 
full  of  life  and  spirit,  and  the  fleeing  princess 
in  the  background  is  delicately  French  in  atti- 
tude and  conception.  The  dragon  is  biting  the 
saint’s  lance,  which  accounts  for  its  broken 
condition  in  the  Raphael  and  the  Mantegna. 
Comparison  of  the  various  St.  Georges  in  this 
collection,  indeed,  will  give  you  an  admirable 
idea  of  the  way  in  which  a single  conventional 
theme,  embracing  always  the  very  same  ele- 
ments, is  modified  by  national  character,  and 
by  the  individuality  of  the  artist.  To  under- 
stand this  is  to  have  grasped  art -history.  (Note 
that  the  legend  of  St.  George  itself  is  in  one 


MICHEL  COLOMBE.  — ST.  GEORGE 


s 


Renaissance  Sculpture.  343 

aspect  a Christianisation  of  the  myth  of  Perseus 
and  Andromeda.) 

Beneath  the  St.  George  stands  a fine  Dead 
Christ,  also  exhibiting  characteristic  French 
treatment.  The  somewhat  insipid,  but  other- 
wise excellent  Madonna  and  Child,  on  a pedes- 
tal close  by,  is  admirable  as  exemplifying  the 
transformation  of  the  smirking  Madonnas  of 
the  Middle  Ages  into  the  type  of  the  Renais- 
sance. The  Death  of  the  Virgin,  near  it,  from 
St.  Jacques-de-la-Boucherie  (of  which  only  the 
tower  now  remains),  suggests  to  one’s  mind 
the  riches  which  must  once  have  belonged  to  the 
demolished  churches  of  Paris,  — mostly,  alas! 
destroyed  at  the  great  Revolution.  Observe  in 
this  work  the  figures  of  the  attendant  apostles, 
the  Renaissance  architecture  of  the  background, 
and  the  soul  of  the  Madonna  ascending  above, 
escorted  by  angels,  to  heaven.  More  na’ive, 
and  somewhat  in  the  earlier  style,  is  the  Na- 
tivity above  it,  flanked  by  the  two  St.  Johns, 
the  Baptist  and  the  Evangelist.  The  tomb  of 
Philippe  de  Commynes  also  illustrates  the  older 
feeling,  as  yet  little  influenced  by  the  Italian 
irruption.  Note  that  the  works  which  betray 
the  greatest  Italian  influence  are  chiefly  com 


344 


Paris. 


nected  with  the  royal  chateaux  and  palaces  of 
Francois  P*'  and  his  Italianate  successors,  or 
their  wives  and  mistresses ; the  nation  as  yet 
is  little  touched  by  the  new  models. 

The  bronze  tomb  of  Alberto  Pio  of  Savoy, 
by  Ponzio,  on  the  other  hand,  exhibits  strongly 
the  Italian  tendency,  and  should  be  compared 
with  the  earlier  recumbent  tombs,  behind  in 
Room  L,  as  showing  the  survival  of  the  medi- 
aeval type,  transmuted  and  completely  revivified. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  tomb  of  Philippe 
de  Chabot,  which,  however,  is  more  distinct- 
ively French  and  much  less  markedly  Italian. 
See  how  the  early  prostrate  effigies  become 
here  recumbent  : the  figure,  as  it  were,  is  try- 
ing to  raise  itself.  In  comparing  the  various 
works  in  this  room,  endeavour  to  note  these 
interlacing  points  of  resemblance  and  difference. 
The  beautiful  Genii  above  are  parts  of  the  same 
tomb,  and  are  exquisite  examples  of  the  minor 
work  of  the  French  Renaissance.  Passing  the 
Italian  Tacca’s  admirable  bust  of  Giovanni  da 
Bologna,  we  come  to  an  excellent  Entombment, 
of  the  French  school,  from  St.  Eustache,  which 
should  be  compared  with  earlier  specimens  in 
the  adjacent  rooms.  Beneath  it,  a fine  frag 


Renaissance  Sculpture.  345 

ment  by  Jean  Cousin.  Still  lower,  a Passage 
of  the  Red  Sea,  beginning  to  display  that  con- 
fused composition  and  lack  of  unity  or  simplic- 
ity which  spoiled  the  art  of  the  later  sixteenth 
and  seventeenth  centuries.  The  fine  Madonna 
and  Child  close  by  should  be  compared  with 
the  very  similar  example  opposite,  as  well  as 
with  its  predecessors  in  other  centuries.  (Com- 
parison of  varying  versions  of  the  same  theme 
is  always  more  instructive  than  that  of  dif- 
ferent subjects.)  The  tomb  of  Abbot  Jean 
de  Cromois,  with  its  Renaissance  framework, 
shows  a survival  of  earlier  tendencies  ; as  does 
also  that  of  Roberte  Legendre,  though  the 
figures  of  Faith  and  Hope  (Charity  is  missing) 
are  distinctly  more  recent  in  type  than  the 
recumbent  effigy.  Those  who  have  time  to 
notice  and  hunt  up  the  coats  of  arms  on  the 
various  tombs  will  often  find  they  shed  inter- 
esting light  on  their  subjects.  Observe  also 
the  churches  from  which  these  various  monu- 
ments have  been  removed,  a point  which  will 
fit  in  with  your  previous  or  subsequent  knowl- 
edge of  the  buildings  in  many  cases. 

The  last  window  contains  a few  works  of  the 
German  school,  which  it  is  interesting  to  com- 


Paris. 


346 

pare  with  their  French  contemporaries.  Thus, 
the  shrewd,  pragmatical,  diplomatic  head  of 
Frederick  the  Pacific,  a coarse,  cunning  self- 
seeker,  is  excellently  contrasted  with  the  French 
portrait-busts.  The  little  scene  of  the  Holy 
Family,  after  Dtirer,  which  should  be  closely 
studied,  is  essentially  German  in  the  domestic 
character  of  its  carpenter’s  shop,  in  the  broad 
peasant  faces  of  its  Madonna  and  attendant 
angels,  in  the  playful  touches  of  the  irreverent 
cherubs,  and  in  the  figure  of  the  Almighty 
appearing  in  clouds  at  the  summit  of  the  com- 
position. The  Kiss  of  Judas,  opposite  it,  is  also 
characteristically  German  ; notice  the  brutal 
soldiers,  whose  like  we  have  seen  in  woodwork 
at  Cluny  : the  bluff  St.  Peter  with  the  sword  is 
equally  noteworthy ; in  the  background  are 
separate  episodes,  such  as  the  Agony  in  the 
Garden ; though  officially  ascribed  to  the 
French  school,  this  is  surely  the  work  of  a 
deft  but  unideal  German  artist.  Do  not  neg- 
lect the  many  beautiful  decorative  fragments 
collected  in  this  room,  nor  the  fine  busts,  mostly 
of  a somewhat  later  period. 

Now  enter  Room  VIII.,  the  Salle  de  Jean 
Goujon.  The  magnificent  collection  of  works 


Renaissance  Sculpture.  347 

contained  in  this  room  embraces  the  finest 
specimens  of  French  Renaissance  work  of  the 
school  of  the  great  artist  whose  name  it  bears, 
and  of  his  equally  gifted  contemporary,  Ger- 
main Pilon.  They  represent  the  plastic  side 
of  the  school  of  Fontainebleau.  In  the  centre 
is  Jean  Goujon’s  Huntress  Diana,  with  her 
dogs  and  stag ; it  was  probably  executed  for 
Diane  de  Poitiers,  and  comes  from  the  Chateau 
d’Anet,  presented  to  her  by  her  royal  lover. 
(Note  all  the  works  from  the  Chateau  d’Anet, 
which  is  a destroyed  museum  of  the  art  of  the 
Renaissance.)  Observe  on  the  base  the  mono- 
gram of  H.  and  D.,  which  recurs  on  contempo- 
rary portions  of  the  Louvre.  The  decorative 
lobsters  and  crayfish  on  the  pedestal  should  also 
be  noted.  Diana  herself  strikes  the  keynote 
of  all  succeeding  French  sculpture.  Beauti- 
ful, coquettish,  lithe  of  limb,  and  with  the  dis- 
tinctive French  elegance  of  pose,  this  figure 
nevertheless  contains  in  it  the  germs  of  rapid 
decadence.  It  suggests  the  genesis  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  and  of  the  common  ormolu 
clock  of  commerce.  Step  into  the  next  room 
and  compare  it  with  the  Nymph  of  Fontaine- 
bleau, by  Benvenuto  Cellini.  You  will  there 


348 


Paris. 


see  how  far  the  Florentine  artist  approached 
the  French,  and  how  much  the  Frenchman 
borrowed  from  the  Florentine.  Walk  round 
and  observe  on  either  side  this  the  most  trium- 
phant work  of  the  French  Renaissance.  Ob- 
serve also  its  relations  to  the  Diana  of  Ver- 
sailles, in  the  Classical  Gallery,  — brought  to 
France  by  Francois  1%  — and  its  general  debt 
to  the  antique,  as  well  as  to  contemporary  Italy. 

Perhaps  still  more  beautiful  is  the  exquisite 

group  of  the  Three  Graces,  supporting  an 
urn,  by  Germain  Pilon,  intended  to  contain  the 
heart  of  Henry  II.,  and  commissioned  by  Cath- 
erine de  Medicis.  It  once  stood  in  the  Church 
of  the  Celestines.  Here  again  one  sees  the 
delicacy  and  refinement  of  the  French  Renais- 
sance, with  fewer  marks  of  its  inherent  defects 
than  in  Jean  Goujon’s  statue.  Sit  long  and 
study  this  exquisite  trio,  — which  the  Celestines 
piously  described  as  the  Theological  Virtues. 
Walk  round  it  and  observe  the  admirably 
natural  way  in  which  the  figures  are  united 
by  their  hands  in  so  seemingly  artificial  a posi- 
tion. The  charmingly  triangular  pedestal  is  by 
the  Florentine  sculptor,  Domenico  del  Barbiere. 

The  third  object  in  the  centre  of  the  room 


GERMAIN  PILON. 


THREE  GRACES. 


s 


Renaissance  Sculpture.  349 

is  the  exquisite  group  of  the  Four  Theological 
Virtues,  in  wood,  also  by  Germain  Pilon,  which, 
till  the  Revolution,  supported  the  reliquary  con- 
taining the  remains  of  Ste.  Genevieve,  in  St. 
Etienne-du-Mont,  and  earlier  still  in  the  old 
church  now  replaced  by  the  Pantheon.  These 
are  probably  the  finest  figures  ever  executed  in 
this  difficult  material.  The  faces  and  attitudes 
deserve  from  every  side  the  closest  study.  If 
you  have  entered  into  the  spirit  of  these  three 
great  groups  in  the  centre  of  this  room,  you 
have  succeeded  in  understanding  the  French 
Renaissance. 

Now,  begin  at  the  further  wall,  in  the  body 
of  the  Salle,  and  observe,  first,  the  exquisite 
reliefs  of  ^ Tritons  and  Nereids,  with  **  Nymphs 
of  the  Seine,  by  Jean  Goujon.  Read  the  labels. 
We  shall  visit  hereafter  the  fountain  of  which 
these  graceful  and  delicate  reliefs  once  formed 
a portion.  The  nymph  to  the  left  is  one  of  the 
loveliest  works  ever  produced  by  its  sculptor, 
and  is  absolutely  redolent  of  Renaissance  spirit. 
It  indicates  the  change  which  had  come  over 
French  handicraft,  under  the  influence  of  its 
Italian  models,  at  the  same  time  allowing  the 
national  spirit  to  shine  through  in  a way  which 


350 


Paris. 


it  never  succeeded  in  doing  in  contemporary 
painting.  Beneath  it  are  two  noble  figures  in 
bronze,  from  the  tomb  of  Christopher  de  Thou, 
attributed  to  an  almost  equally  great  artist, 
Barthelemy  Prieur.  Fr^min  Roussel's  Genius 
of  History  still  more  markedly  anticipates  more 
recent  French  tendencies.  It  is  intensely  mod- 
ern. Germain  Pilon's  monumental  bronze  of 
Ren6  Birague  prepares  us  for  the  faults  of  the 
French  works  of  this  style  in  the  Louis  XIV. 
period.  Mere  grandiosity  and  ostentation  are 
here  foreshadowed.  The  centre  of  the  next 
wall  is  occupied  by  Germain  Pilon's  fine  chim- 
ney-piece, with  Jean  Goujon’s  bust  of  Henri  H. 
as  its  central  object.  The  decorative  Renais- 
sance work  on  this  mantel  should  be  closely 
studied,  as  well  as  that  — so  vastly  inferior  — 
on  the  adjacent  later  columns  of  the  age  of 
Louis  XIV.  Barthelemy  Prieur’s  exquisite 
bronzes  from  the  tomb  of  the  Constable  Anne 
de  Montmorency  also  breathe  a profoundly 
French  spirit.  The  figures  represent  Justice, 
Courage,  and  Abundance.  Germain  Pilon’s  too 
tearful  Mater  Dolorosa  (painted  terra-cotta)  close 
by,  from  the  Sainte  Chapelle,  indicates  the  be- 
ginnings of  modern  French  taste  in  church 


Renaissance  Sculpture.  351 

furniture.  His  recumbent  tomb  of  Valentine 
Balbiani,  on  the  other  hand,  is  admirable  as 
portraiture ; but  the  genius  of  the  artist  is  only 
fully  displayed  in  the  repulsive  figure  of  the 
same  body  seen  emaciated  in  death  and  de- 
composition beneath  it.  Barthelemy  Prieur's 
recumbent  figure  of  Anne  de  Montmorency 
shows  survival  ^of  the  older  type,  doubtless 
due  to  the  prejudices  of  patrons. 

Above  it  is  an  admirable  piece  of  Renaissance 
sculpture,  by  Jean  Goujon,  for  the  decoration 
of  the  rood-loft  (now  removed)  in  St.  Germain 
TAuxerrois.  The  rare  beauty  of  the  existing 
one  at  St.  litienne-du-Mont  (by  a far  inferior 
artist)  enables  us  to  estimate  the  loss  we  have 
sustained  by  its  disappearance.  The  Deposi- 
tion, in  the  centre,  marked  by  the  highly  clas- 
sical style  and  secular  or  almost  sensuous  beauty 
of  its  Maries,  and  the  anatomical  knowledge 
displayed  in  its  Dead  Christ,  should  be  con- 
trasted with  earlier  specimens  in  adjacent 
rooms.  In  the  accompanying  figures  of  the 
four  Evangelists,  notice  how  earlier  concep- 
tions of  the  writers  and  their  attendant  sym- 
bols have  been  altogether  modified  by  a 
Raphaelesque  spirit.  You  would  scarcely  no- 


352 


Paris. 


tice  the  eagle,  angel,  bull,  and  lion  (compare 
Sacchi  up-stairs),  unless  you  were  told  to  look 
for  them.  Germain  Pilon’s  Agony  in  the  Gar- 
den displays  an  exactly  similar  transformation 
of  a traditional  subject. 

Some  interesting  works  are  placed  near  the 
windows.  In  the  first  is  a fragment  from  the 
pulpit  of  the  Church  of  the  Grands  Augustins 
in  Paris,  by  Germain  Pilon,  representing  Paul 
Preaching  at  Athens.  The  bald  head  and  long 
beard  of  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  are  tradi- 
tional ; the  figure  is  modelled  on  Italian  prec- 
edents ; here  again  the  female  auditors  are 
introduced  entirely  in  the  classical  spirit,  and 
treated  with  Renaissance  love  for  exuberant 
femininity.  Nominally  sacred,  such  works  as 
this  are  really  nothing  more  than  sensuous  and 
decorative  in  their  tendencies.  The  Church 
accepted  them  because  they  were  supposed  to 
be  artistic.  Other  fragments  opposite  exemplify 
the  same  baneful  tendency,  pregnant  with  deca- 
dence. Christ  and  the  Woman  of  Samaria  (with 
her  classical  urn)  is  a subject  we  have  already 
met  with  elsewhere : here,  it  is  much  permeated 
by  Renaissance  feeling.  The  Preaching  of  St. 
John  Baptist  gives  the  artist  an  opportunity  for 


353 


Renaissance  Sculpture. 

introducing  two  attractive  female  listeners.  In 
the  second  window,  the  contrast  between  the 
comparatively  archaic  St.  Eloi  from  Dijon,  and 
the  nymphs  of  the  school  of  Jean  Goujon,  is 
sufficiently  abrupt  to  point  its  own  moral.  Ger- 
main Pilon’s  Entombment  may  be  instructively 
compared  with  Jean  Goujon’s  and  others;  the 
Magdalen  here  is  an  admirable  figure.  Glance 
across  from  one  to  the  other  and  note  the 
resemblance.  Even  at  this  late  date,  how  close 
is  the  similarity  in  the  attitudes  of  the  chief 
actors ! They  almost  correspond  figure  for  fig- 
ure : Joseph  of  Arimathsea,  and  then  Nico- 
demus,  supporting  the  dead  Christ ; next,  the 
fainting  Madonna,  in  the  arms  of  one  of  the 
Maries ; then,  the  Magdalen  at  the  foot,  with 
her  box  of  ointment,  and  the  mourning  women  ; 
all  stand  in  the  same  relations  in  the  two  reliefs. 
If  you  will  compare  both  paintings  and  sculp- 
tures in  this  manner,  you  will  learn  how  much 
the  artist  borrowed  in  each  case  from  prede- 
cessors, and  exactly  how  much  is  his  own  in- 
vention. Opposite  the  Entombment  are  other 
nymphs  of  the  school  of  Jean  Goujon,  and  a 
characteristic  transitional  figure  of  a Donor  and 
his  Family,  showing  a distinct  attempt  to  treat 


354 


Paris. 


an  old  motive  by  the  new  methods.  On  the 
left  is  the  donor,  kneeling,  introduced  by  his 
patron,  St.  John  Baptist ; on  the  right  are  two 
ladies  of  his  family,  introduced  by  a sainted 
bishop  and  an  abbot ; near  them,  their  children, 
kneeling,  but  with  some  genial  allowance  for 
the  sense  of  tedium  in  infancy ; in  the  back- 
ground, Renaissance  architecture,  with  quaint 
bas-reliefs  of  Samson  carrying  off  the  gates  of 
Gaza ; the  Resurrection  and  Appearance  to  the 
Apostles ; the  Supper  at  Emmaus ; and  Jonah 
emerging  from  the  mouth  of  the  whale.  Works 
like  these,  often  artistically  of  less  importance, 
nevertheless  not  infrequently  throw  useful  light 
on  the  nature  of  the  conditions  under  which 
the  sculptor  worked,  — the  trammels  of  tradi- 
tion, the  struggle  to  wriggle  out  of  the  com- 
mands of  a patron,  who  desires  to  see  repro- 
duced the  types  of  his  childhood.  The  third 
window  contains  some  charming  but  mutilated 
fragments  from  the  tomb  of  the  Due  de  Guise ; 
more  figures  by  Germain  Pilon ; and  a thor- 
oughly Renaissance  Awakening  of  the  Nymphs, 
attributed  (with  little  doubt)  to  Fr6min  Rous- 
sel. Germain  Pilon’s  good  bust  of  Charles  IX. 
strikes  the  keynote  of  the  king’s  vain  and  heart- 


355 


Renaissance  Sculpture. 

less  character.  The  baby  Christ,  by  Richier, 
though  evidently  suffering  from  water  on  the 
brain,  is  otherwise  a charming  early  French 
conception  of  soft  innocence  and  infantile 
grace.  Notice,  above  this,  a somewhat  transi- 
tional Pieta,  placed  as  a votive  offering  (like  so 
many  other  things)  in  the  old  church  of  Ste. 
Genevieve,  with  the  kneeling  donor  represented 
as  looking  on,  after  the  earlier  fashion.  The 
Judgment  of  Daniel,  attributed  to  Richier, 
though  splendid  in  execution,  forms  an  exam- 
ple of  the  more  crowded  and  almost  confused 
composition  which  was  beginning  to  destroy  the 
unity  and  simplicity  of  plastic  art.  As  a whole, 
the  works  in  this  room  should  be  attentively 
and  closely  studied,  illustrating  as  they  do  the 
one  exquisite  moment  of  perfect  fruition,  when 
the  French  Renaissance  burst  suddenly  into  full 
flower,  to  be  succeeded  almost  at  once  by  pain- 
ful degeneracy  and  long  slow  decadence.  I 
would  specially  recommend  you  to  compare 
closely  the  more  classical  works  of  this  room 
with  those  in  the  adjoining  Salle  de  Michel 
Ange  in  order  to  recognise  the  distinctively 
French  tone  as  compared  with  the  Italian. 
The  importance  of  these  various  rooms,  of 


35^ 


Paris. 


both  nationalities,  to  a comprehension  of  Paris 
and  French  art  in  general,  cannot  be  over- 
estimated. By  their  light  alone  can  you  fully 
understand  the  fabric  of  the  Louvre  itself,  the 
Luxembourg,  the  Renaissance  churches,  the 
tombs  at  St.  Denis,  and  above  all,  Fontaine- 
bleau, St.  Germain,  Versailles  itself,  and  the 
entire  development  of  architecture  and  sculp- 
ture from  Francois  P*"  to  the  Revolutionary 
epoch.  Especially  should  you  always  bear  in 
mind  the  importance  of  works  from  the  Cha- 
teau de  Gaillon  (early)  and  Chateau  d’Anet  (full 
French  Renaissance). 

In  the  vestibule,  as  you  pass  out,  notice  a 
copy  in  bronze,  probably  by  Barthelemy  Prieur, 
of  the  antique  Huntress  Diana,  the  original  of 
which  we  have  already  noticed  in  the  Classi- 
cal Gallery.  It  helps  to  accentuate  the  direct 
dependence  of  French  Renaissance  sculpture 
upon  the  classical  model  as  well  as  upon  that 
of  the  contemporary  Italians.  Observe  that 
while  each  of  these  arts  is  based  upon  the 
antique,  it  necessarily  follows  the  antique 
models  then  and  there  known  to  it,  — not  the 
‘‘Venus  of  Milo”  discovered  in  1820,  or  the 
figures  from  Olympia  of  quite  recent  discovery. 


CHAPTER  XVL 


MODERN  SCULPTURE  AND  THE  SMALLER 
COLLECTIONS. 

HE  collection  of  modern  sculpture  is 


A entered  by  a separate  door  in  the  Cour 
du  Louvre,  marked  E on  Baedeker’s  plan.  It 
takes  up  the  development  of  Erench  plastic 
art  at  the  point  where  the  last  collection 
leaves  off.  It  is,  however,  of  vastly  inferior 
interest,  and  should  only  be  visited  by  those 
who  have  time  to  spare  from  more  important 
subjects.  The  decline  which  affected  French 
painting  after  the  age  of  the  early  Renaissance 
had  even  more  disastrous  effects  in  the  do- 
main of  sculpture.  I will  not,  therefore,  enu- 
merate individual  works  in  these  rooms,  but 
will  touch  briefly  on  the  characteristics  of 
the  various  epochs  represented  in  the  various 
galleries. 


357 


358 


Paris. 


The  Salle  de  Puget  contains  sculptures  of 
the  age  of  Louis  XIII.  and  XIV.,  for  the  most 
part  theatrical,  fly-away,  and  mannered.  They 
are  grandiose  with  the  grandiosity  of  the  school 
of  Bernini ; unreal  and  overdraperied.  Like 
contemporary  painting,  too,  they  represent  of- 
ficial or  governmental  art,  with  a courtier-like 
tendency  to  flattery  of  monarchy,  general  and 
particular.  A feeble  pomposity,  degenerating 
into  bombast,  strikes  their  keynote.  Few 
works  in  this  room  need  detain  the  visitor. 

The  Salle  de  Coyzevox  continues  the  series, 
with  numerous  portrait -busts  of  the  celebrities 
of  the  age  of  Louis  XIV.,  mostly  insipid  and 
banal.  The  decline  goes  on  with  accelerated 
rapidity. 

The  Salle  des  Coustou,  mostly  Louis  XV., 
marks  the  lowest  depth  of  the  degradation  of 
plastic  art,  here  reduced  to  the  level  of  Palais 
Royal  trinkets.  It  represents  the  worst  type 
of  eighteenth  century  handicraft,  and  hardly 
contains  a single  passable  statue.  Its  best 
works  are  counterparts  in  marble  of  Boucher 
and  Greuze,  but  without  even  the  touch  of 
meretricious  art  which  colour  and  cleverness 
add  to  the  craft  of  those  boudoir  artists.  Few 


CANOVA.  — CUPID  AND  PSYCHE. 


359 


Modern  Sculpture. 

of  them  rise  to  the  level  of  good  Dresden  china. 
The  more  ambitious  lack  even  that  mild  distinc- 
tion. 

The  Salle  de  Houdon,  of  the  Revolutionary 
epoch,  shows  a slight  advance  upon  the  preced 
ing  (parallel  to  the  later  work  of  Greuze),  and 
is  interesting  from  its  portrait-busts  of  Ameri- 
can statesmen  and  French  republican  leaders. 
Some  of  the  ideal  works,  even,  have  touches 
of  grace,  and  a slightly  severer  taste  begins  to 
make  itself  apparent.  The  classical  period  is 
foreshadowed. 

The  Salle  de  Chaudet,  of  the  First  Empire, 
answers  in  sculpture  to  the  school  of  David  in 
painting.  It  is  cold,  dignified,  reserved,  and 
pedantic.  It  imitates  (not  always  at  all  suc- 
cessfully) the  antique  ideals.  The  best  works 
in  this  room  are  Canova’s ; but  the  intention 
is  almost  always  better  than  the  execution.  A 
sense  of  chilly  correctness  distinguishes  these 
blameless  academic  works  from  the  natural 
grace  and  life  of  antique  Greek  sculptors. 
They  lie  under  the  curse  which  pursues  re- 
vivals. 

The  Salle  de  Rude  contains  plastic  work  of 
the  Restoration,  the  July  Monarchy,  and  the 


Paris. 


360 

Second  Empire.  It  answers  roughly  to  the 
romantic  school  of  Delaroche  in  painting. 
Several  of  these  almost  contemporary  works 
have  high  merit,  though  few  of  them  aim  at 
that  reposeful  expression  which  is  proper  to 
sculpture.  Some,  indeed,  trench  upon  the 
domain  of  painting  in  their  eager  effort  to  ex- 
press passing  emotion  and  action.  Picturesque- 
ness and  sensuousness  are  their  prevailing 
features.  Nevertheless,  the  room,  as  a whole, 
exhibits  the  character  of  a real  renaissance, 
such  as  it  is,  from  the  mediocrity  of  the  last 
century,  and  the  bleak  propriety  of  the  clas- 
sical revival.  Too  many  of  the  works,  however, 
are  aimed  at  the  taste  of  the  boulevards. 
They  foreshadow  that  feeling  which  makes 
too  much  modern  sculpture  attempt  to  catch 
the  public  by  flinging  away  everything  that  is 
proper  to  the  art.  The  desire  for  novelty  is 
allowed  to  override  the  sense  of  beauty  and  of 
just  proportion ; repose  is  lost  ; dignity  and 
serenity  give  place  to  cleverness  of  imitation 
and  apt  catching  at  the  momentary  expression. 

The  other  collections  at  the  Louvre  appeal 
for  the  most  part  rather  to  the  specialist  than 
to  the  general  public.  They  are  for  workers, 


Modern  Sculpture.  361 

not  for  sightseers.  The  Egyptian  museum,  for 
example,  to  the  left  as  you  enter  the  Cour  du 
Louvre  by  the  main  entrance,  contains,  perhaps, 
the  finest  collection  of  its  sort  in  all  Europe. 
You  must,  of  course,  at  least  walk  through  it 
— especially  if  you  have  not  seen  the  British 
Museum.  The  objects,  however,  are  sufficiently 
indicated  for  casual  visitors  by  means  of  the 
labels ; they  need  not  be  enumerated.  The 
opposite  wing,  to  the  right  as  you  enter,  con- 
tains the  Assyrian  collection,  inferior  on  the 
whole,  especially  in  its  bas-reliefs,  to  that  in 
the  British  Museum.  Beyond  it,  again  to  the 
left,  lie  a group  of  rooms  devoted  to  the  inter- 
mediate region  between  the  sphere  of  Assyrian 
and  Greek  art.  These  rooms  ought  certainly 
to  be  examined  by  any  who  wish  to  form  some 
idea  of  the  origin  and  development  of  Hellenic 
culture.  The  first  two  rooms  of  the  suite 
contain  Phoenician  works,  — important  because 
the  Phoenicians  were  the  precursors  of  the 
Greeks  in  navigation  and  commerce  in  the  Med- 
iterranean, and  because  early  Greek  art  was 
largely  based  on  Phoenician  imitations  of  Assyr- 
ian and  Egyptian  work,  or  on  actual  Egyptian 
and  Assyrian  objects  imported  into  Hellas  by 


362 


Paris. 


Phoenician  merchants.  These  Semitic  seafarers 
had  no  indigenous  art  of  their  own ; but  they 
acted  as  brokers  between  East  and  West,  and 
they  skilfully  copied  and  imitated  the  principal 
art-products  of  the  two  great  civilisations  on 
whose  confines  they  lay,  though  often  without 
really  understanding  their  true  import.  The 
Phoenicians  were  thus  the  pioneers  of  civilisation 
in  the  Eastern  Mediterranean. 

Room  IV.,  beyond  these  two,  contains  more 
Phoenician  antiquities,  and  others  from  Cyprus, 
an  island  inhabited  by  Greeks  or  half  Greeks, 
but  one  in  which  this  imported  Oriental  culture 
earliest  took  root,  and  produced  native  imita- 
tions. Examine  these  objects  as  leading  up  to, 
and  finally  correcting,  the  archaic  Greek  work 
ill  represented  by  a few  objects  in  the  Salle  de 
Phidias.  The  Salle  de  Milet,  beyond,  contains 
Greek  antiquities  from  Asia  Minor,  some  of 
which  indicate  transition  from  the  Assyrian 
to  the  Hellenic  type.  Examine  these  from  the 
point  of  view  of  development.  The  reliefs  from 
the  temple  of  Assos  in  Mysia  show  an  early 
stage  in  the  evolution  of  Asiatic  Greek  art. 
Compare  them  with  the  archaic  objects  in  the 
Salle  de  Phidias.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind 


Modern  Sculpture.  363 

that  civilised  art  entered  Greece  from  Assyria, 
by  way  of  Phoenicia,  the  Hittites,  Lydia,  Phry- 
gia, the  Ionian  cities  in  Asia  Minor,  and  the 
Islands  of  the  Archipelago.  These  intermediate 
rooms  should  therefore  be  studied  in  detail 
from  this  point  of  view,  dates  and  places  being 
carefully  noted,  as  illustrating  the  westward 
march  of  art  from  Nineveh  to  Athens.  The 
last  hall  of  the  suite,  the  Salle  de  Magnesie, 
on  the  other  hand,  contains  works  from  Ephesus 
of  a late  Greek  period,  representing  rather  a 
slight  barbaric  deterioration  than  a transitional 
stage.  These  collections,  most  important  to  the 
student  of  Hellenic  culture,  may  be  neglected 
by  hurried  or  casual  visitors. 

The  Salle  Judaique,  to  the  right,  under 
the  stairs,  contains  the  scanty  remains  of  the 
essentially  inartistic  Jewish  people,  interesting 
chiefly  from  the  point  of  view  of  Biblical  history. 
The  famous  and  much-debated  Moabite  Stone, 
recording  the  battles  of  King  Mesa  of  Moab 
with  the  Jews  in  b.  c.  896,  is  here  preserved. 
It  is  believed  to  be  the  earliest  existing  speci- 
men of  alphabetic  as  opposed  to  hieroglyphic 
or  ideographic  writing. 

There  is,  however,  one  group  of  objects  in 


Paris. 


364 

the  Louvre,  too  seldom  visited,  which  no  one 
should  omit  to  inspect  if  time  permits  him. 
This  is  the  admirable  Dieulafoy  collection 
of  Persian  antiquities.  To  arrive  at  it,  go  to 
the  front  of  the  Old  Louvre,  facing  St.  Germain 
I’Auxerrois,  as  for  the  previously  noted  series. 
Enter  by  the  principal  portal,  and  turn  to  the 
right,  through  the  Assyrian  collection,  whose 
winged  bulls  and  reliefs  of  kings  you  may  now 
inspect  in  passing,  if  you  have  not  done  so 
previously.  Mount  the  staircase  at  the  end, 
and,  at  the  landing  on  the  top,  turn  to  your 
left,  when  you  will  find  yourself  at  once  face 
to  face  with  the  collection. 

The  First  Room  contains  merely  Graeco- 
Babylonian  objects  (of  a different  collection) 
which  need  only  be  inspected  by  those  whose 
leisure  is  ample.  They  illustrate  chiefly  the 
effect  of  Hellenic  influence  on  Asiatic  models. 
On  the  entrance  wall  of  the  Second  Room 
is  the  magnificent  * Frieze  of  Archers  of  the 
Immortal  Guard,  in  encaustic  tiles,  with  cunei- 
form inscriptions,  from  the  Throne  Room  of 
Darius  I.  This  splendid  work,  mere  fragment 
though  it  is  of  the  original,  gives  in  its  colour 
and  decorative  detail  some  idea  of  the  splen- 


Modern  Sculpture.  365 

dour  of  the  Palace  of  the  Persian  monarchs. 
The  colours  are  those  still  so  prevalent  in  Per- 
sian art,  showing  a strong  predominance  of 
blues  and  greens,  with  faint  tones  of  yellow, 
over  red  and  purple,  which  latter,  indeed,  are 
hardly  present.  Round  the  rest  of  the  walls 
are  ranged  decorative  fragments  from  the  Pal- 
ace of  Artaxerxes  Mnemon.  Opposite  the 
archers  is  another  magnificent  frieze  of  angry 
lions,  from  the  summit  of  the  portals  in  the  last- 
named  palace.  The  next  compartment  of  the 
same  room  contains  the  * Base  of  a Column 
and  a Capital  of  the  same,  also  from  the 
Palace  of  Artaxerxes  Mnemon,  — two  figures  of 
bulls  supporting  between  them  the  enormous 
wooden  rafters  of  the  ceiling.  These  gigantic 
and  magnificent  figures  form  perhaps  the  most 
effective  and  adequate  supports  for  a great 
weight  to  be  found  in  any  school  of  archi- 
tecture. 

The  next  room  contains  the  admirable  recon- 
struction of  the  Palace,  when  entire,  showing 
the  position  on  the  walls  of  either  pylon,  and 
the  manner  in  which  the  columns  supported  the 
colossal  roof.  If,  from  inspection  of  this  model, 
we  return  to  the  base  and  capitals  themselves^ 


Paris. 


366 

we  shall  be  able  to  judge  what  must  have  been 
the  magnificent  and  gigantic  scale  of  this  Titanic 
building,  the  effect  of  which  must  have  thrown 
even  the  Temple  of  Karnac  into  the  shade.  At 
the  side  are  a lion  and  winged  bull,  which  help 
to  complete  the  mental  picture.  This  collec- 
tion, unique  in  Europe,  serves  to  give  one  an 
idea  of  the  early  Persian  civilisation  which  can 
nowhere  else  be  obtained,  and  which  helps  to 
correct  the  somewhat  one-sided  idea  derived 
from  the  accounts  of  Greek  historians.  On 
no  account  should  you  miss  it. 

The  minor  art-objects  of  the  Louvre,  though 
of  immense  value  and  interest  in  themselves, 
may  be  largely  examined  by  those  who  have 
the  time  in  the  light  of  their  previous  work  at 
Cluny.  The  collection  of  drawings,  one  of  the 
finest  in  Europe,  is  mostly  interesting  to  artists. 
That  of  smaller  Mediaeval  and  Renaissance  ob- 
jects contains  works  closely  similar  to  those  at 
Cluny,  including  admirable  ivory-carvings,  fine 
pottery  (the  best  of  which  is  that  by  Palissy, 
and  the  Henri  II.  ware),  together  with  Oriental 
fai'ence,  bronzes,  etc.  The  Greek  vases,  again, 
of  which  this  museum  contains  a magnificent 
collection,  are  mainly  interesting  to  Hellenic 


Modern  Sculpture.  367 

specialists.  For  the  casual  visitor,  it  will  suffice 
to  examine  one  or  two  of  them.  The  Etruscan 
antiquities  give  a good  idea  of  the  civilisa- 
tion of  this  ancient  race,  from  which,  both  in 
earlier  and  later  times,  almost  all  the  art,  poetry, 
and  science  of  Italy  has  proceeded.  Though 
entirely  based  upon  Greek  models,  the  Etrus- 
can productions  betray  high  artistic  faculty  and 
great  receptive  powers  of  intellect.  Among  the 
minor  Greek  works,  none  are  more  interesting 
than  the  beautiful  little  terra-cotta  figures  from 
Tanagra  in  Boeotia,  which  cast  an  unexpected 
light  on  one  side  of  Greek  art  and  culture. 
Examine  them  as  supplementing  the  collection 
of  antique  sculpture.  These  figurines,  as  they 
are  called,  were  produced  in  immense  quantities, 
chiefly  in  Boeotia,  both  for  household  decoration 
and  to  be  buried  with  the  dead.  They  were 
first  moulded  or  cast  in  clay,  but  they  were 
afterward  finished  by  hand,  with  the  addition 
of  just  such  accessories  or  modifications  as  we 
have  seen  to  obtain  in  the  case  of  the  statues 
in  the  antique  gallery.  Finally  they  were  grace- 
fully and  tastefully  coloured.  Nothing  better 
indicates  the  universality  of  high  art-feeling 
among  the  ancient  Greeks  than  the  extraordi- 


Paris. 


368 

nary  variety,  fancy,  and  beauty  of  these  cheap 
objects  of  every-day  decoration  ; while  the  unex- 
pected novelty  given  by  the  slightest  additions 
or  alterations  in  what  (being  moulded)  is  essen- 
tially the  same  figure  throws  a flood  of  light 
upon  the  methods  of  plastic  art  in  higher 
departments.  Look  out  for  these  exquisite 
little  figures  as  you  pass  through  the  (inner) 
rooms  on  the  south  side  of  the  old  Cour  du 
Louvre,  on  the  first  floor.  Most  of  them  will 
be  found  in  Room  L of  Baedeker's  plan. 
Almost  every  visitor  is  equally  surprised  and 
charmed  by  their  extremely  modern  tone  of 
feeling.  They  are  alive  and  human.  In  par- 
ticular, the  playfulness  of  Greek  art  is  here 
admirably  exemplified.  Many  of  them  have 
touches  of  the  most  graceful  humour. 

Here,  again,  do  not  suppose  that,  because  I 
do  not  specify,  these  minor  works  of  art  are 
of  little  importance.  If  you  have  time,  ex- 
amine them  all ; but  you  must  do  so  by  indi- 
vidual care  and  study. 

The  neighbouring  Salle  des  Bijoux  contains 
beautiful  antique  jewelry  ; do  not  miss  the 
very  graceful  gold  tiara  presented  to  the 
Scythian  King  Saitaphernes  by  the  Greek  city 


GALERIE  D’APOLLON, 


369 


Modern  Sculpture. 

of  Olbia  in  the  Crimea, — a lovely  work  of  the 
third  century  b.  c.  Its  authenticity  has  been 
disputed,  but  not  its  beauty. 

The  Galerie  d’Apollon  contains,  among 
many  objects  of  considerable  interest,  the 
reliquary  which  encloses  the  arm  of  Charle- 
magne, — who,  having  been  canonised,  was 
duly  entitled  to  such  an  honour.  The  Rel- 
iquary of  St.  Henry,  and  the  Chasse  of  St. 
Louis  are  also  well  worthy  of  inspection. 
Notice,  too,  the  Hand  of  Justice,  used  at  the 
coronation  of  the  French  kings.  But  all  these 
objects  can  only  be  properly  studied,  by  those 
who  wish  to  investigate  them,  with  the  aid  of 
the  official  catalogue.  I shall  recur  at  greater 
length  to  a few  of  them  after  our  return  from 
St.  Denis. 

When  you  have  learnt  Paris  well,  go  often 
to  and  fro  between  these  rooms  of  the  Louvre, 
the  Mediaeval  and  Renaissance  Sculpture,  the 
halls  at  Cluny  (particularly  Room  VI.,  with 
its  French  architectural  work),  and  the  older 
churches,  such  as  St.  Germain-des-Pres,  Notre- 
Dame,  St.  Denis,  etc.  Thus  only  can  you 
build  up  and  consolidate  your  conceptions. 

A special  small  collection,  to  which  part  of 


370 


Paris. 


a day  may  well  be  devoted,  is  the  Early  Chris- 
tian Sculpture,  to  which  I have  already  briefly 
alluded,  in  the  first  room  to  the  right  as  you 
enter  the  Renaissance  Galleries  in  the  Cour 
du  Louvre. 

The  centre  of  the  hall  is  occupied  by  a 
good  early  Christian  sarcophagus,  wdth  a 
cover  not  its  own,  sufificiently  described  as 
to  origin  on  the  label.  The  front  toward  the 
window  represents  the  True  Vine,  surround- 
ing the  ‘‘  X P,”  which  form  the  first  two 
letters  of  the  name  of  Christ  in  Greek,  in- 
scribed in  a solar  circle,  and  with  the  Alpha 
and  Omega  on  either  side  of  it.  This  figure, 
repeated  on  various  works  in  this  room  in 
slightly  different  shapes,  is  known  as  a La- 
barum.  It  forms,  after  Constantine  (who 
adopted  it  as  his  emblem  and  that  of  the 
Christianised  empire),  the  most  frequent 
symbol  on  early  Christian  monuments.  Note 
modern  reproductions  on  the  frieze  of  this 
apartment.  Its  variations  are  numerous.  At 
the  ends,  are  other  True  Vines,  and  a better 
Labarum,  with  a Star  of  Bethlehem.  The 
back  has  the  same  devices  repeated. 

Wall  nearest  the  entrance,  several  inscrip- 


Modern  Sculpture.  371 

tions,  among  which  notice  the  frequency  of 
the  Labarum,  with  the  two  birds  pecking  at 
it,  — a common  early  Christian  symbol.  Be- 
low them,  good  early  sarcophagus.  On  its 
end,  remote  from  window,  Daniel  in  the  Lions’ 
Den,  a traditional  representation,  of  which  an 
extremely  rude  barbaric  degradation  may  be 
noticed,  high  up,  near  the  door  which  leads 
into  the  Della  Robbia  room,  adjacent.  In 
early  Christian  art  certain  subjects  from  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments  became  convention- 
alised, and  were  repeated  on  numerous  works  ; 
of  which  this  scene  of  Daniel  is  an  example. 
Observe  here  that  Old  Testament  subjects 
are  frequent ; while  Madonnas  are  rare,  and 
saints  almost  unknown.  Further  on,  on  the 
ground,  sarcophagus  representing  Christ  with 
the  Twelve  Apostles.  The  treatment  here,  in 
spite  of  slight  Oriental  tendencies  (compare 
the  Mithra  reliefs),  is  on  the  whole  purely 
classical.  Now,  the  great  interest  in  this 
room  is  to  watch  the  way  in  which  classical 
styles  and  figures  passed  slowly  from  pagan 
types  into  Christian,  and  again  from  the  de- 
based classical  types  of  the  later  Empire  into 
those  of  Romanesque  or  Gothic  barbarity.  As 


372 


Paris. 


an  example  of  this  surviving  pagan  element, 
see,  on  the  wall  to  the  right  of  this  sarcopha- 
gus, Elijah  taken  up  to  heaven  in  a chariot 
of  fire,  and  leaving  his  mantle  to  Elisha.  Here, 
the  Jordan  is  represented,  in  truly  pagan  style, 
by  a river-god  reclining  on  an  urn  and  holding 
water-weeds.  Such  river-gods  were  the  con- 
ventional classical  way  of  representing  a river 
(see  the  Tiber  here,  and  the  Nile  of  the  Vati- 
can, reproduced  in  the  vestibule) ; and  Chris- 
tian artists  at  first  so  represented  the  Jordan, 
as  in  the  Baptism  of  Christ  (in  mosaic)  in  the 
Baptistery  of  the  Orthodox  at  Ravenna. 

Above  the  sarcophagus  of  Christ  and  the 
Twelve  Apostles  is  an  extremely  beautiful  altar- 
front  from  the  abbey  of  St.  Denis  (read  label), 
with  a cross  and  palm-trees,  the  True  Vine 
interlacing  it,  and  the  characteristic  wave- 
pattern,  which  you  may  note  on  many  other 
works  in  this  room.  This  is  the  most  beautiful 
piece  of  early  Romanesque  or  intermediate 
Christian  carving  in  this  collection. 

In  the  centre  of  the  Elijah  wall,  below, 
a sarcophagus  with  a very  Oriental  figure  of 
the  Good  Shepherd,  — a frequent  early  Christian 
device.  Compare  this  figure  with  the  plaster 


Modern  Sculpture. 


373 


cast  of  a similar  statue  from  Rome,  near  the 
Della  Robbia  doorway.  Compare  the  marked 
Orientalism  of  face,  form,  and  foot-gear,  with 
the  Mithra  reliefs.  Above  it,  scenes  from  the 
life  of  Christ,  — Blessing  the  Children,  Christ 
and  Peter,  the  Woman  of  Samaria,  etc.  ; treat- 
ment quite  classical.  Still  higher,  sarcophagus- 
front  of  Christ  and  the  Twelve  Apostles ; 
workmanship  becoming  decadent ; architecture, 
classical  in  the  centre,  passing  at  the  sides  into 
early  Romanesque  or  Constantinian  and  Diocle- 
tianesque,  as  in  some  of  the  other  examples 
in  this  room.  To  the  left  of  it,  Abraham's 
Sacrifice  of  Isaac,  with  rather  late  architecture. 

All  the  other  objects  in  this  room  should  be 
carefully  examined,  and  their  place  of  origin 
noted.  The  symbols  and  the  frequent  Oriental 
tinge  should  also  be  observed.  Likewise,  the  ab- 
sence of  several  ideas  and  symbols  which  come  in 
later.  Note  that  there  are  no  crucifixions,  suf- 
ferings, or  martyrdoms ; the  tone  is  joyous. 
Many  of  the  minor  objects  have  their  own 
value.  Thus,  the  fish,  by  the  entrance  door,  is 
a common  early  Christian  symbol,  because  the 
Greek  word  IX®YS  formed  the  initials  of  the 
sentence,  Jesus  Christ,  Son  of  God,  the  Sa- 


374 


Paris. 


viour ; and  its  sacred  significance  is  here  still 
further  emphasised  by  the  superimposed  cross, 
— a symbol,  however,  which  does  not  belong 
to  the  very  earliest  ages  of  Christendom.  So, 
on  the  opposite  wall  of  the  window,  notice 
the  little  Daniel  in  the  Den  of  Lions,  and  the 
/outhful  beardless  Christ  with  a halo.  The 
longer  you  study  these  interesting  remains, 
the  more  will  you  see  in  them. 

Those  who  have  had  their  interest  aroused 
in  early  Christian  art  from  the  examination  of 
this  room,  will  find  the  subject  best  pursued  at 
Rome  (Catacombs  and  Lateran)  and  Ravenna, 
where  we  can  trace  the  long  decline  from 
classical  freedom  to  Byzantine  stiffness  and 
Gothic  barbarism,  as  well  as  the  slow  upward 
movement  from  the  depths  of  the  early  Roman- 
esque style  to  the  precursors  of  the  Renais- 
sance. For  the  chronological  pursuit  of  this 
enticing  subject  the  best  order  of  visiting  is 
Rome,  Ravenna,  Bologna,  Pisa,  Siena,  Florence. 
For  a list  of  the  extensive  literature  of  the 
subject,  see  Dean  Farrar’s  ‘‘  Christ  in  Art.’’ 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


THE  MODERN  CITY. 

PARIS,  north  of  the  river,  — which  is  for 
most  purposes  the  practical  Paris  of  busi- 
ness and  pleasure,  and  of  the  ordinary  tourist 
at  the  present  day,  — has  grown  by  slow  degrees 
from  small  beginnings.  The  various  rings  of 
its  growth  are  roughly  marked  on  the  Map  of 
Historical  Paris.  The  wall  of  Philippe  Auguste 
started  from  near  the  easternmost  end  of  the 
existing  Louvre,  and,  after  bending  inland  so  as 
just  to  enclose  the  Halles  Centrales,  reached 
the  river  again  near  the  upper  end  of  the  He 
St.  Louis.  It  thus  encircled  the  district  imme- 
diately opposite  the  primitive  islands  : and  this 
innermost  region,  the  Core  of  the  Right  Bank, 
still  contains  most  of  the  older  buildings  and 
places  of  interest  north  of  the  river.  Etienne 
Marcel’s  walls  took  a slightly  wider  sweep,  as 
shown  on  the  map ; and  by  the  time  of  Louis 
375 


Paris, 


376 

XIII. ,  the  town  had  reached  the  limit  of  the 
Great  Boulevards,  which,  with  their  southern 
prolongation,  still  enclose  almost  everything 
of  historical  or  artistic  interest  in  modern  Paris. 
The  fact  that  the  kings  had  all  their  palaces  in 
this  northern  district  was  partly  a cause,  partly 
perhaps  an  effect,  of  its  rapid  predominance. 
The  town  was  now  spreading  mainly  north- 
ward. 

The  increase  of  the  royal  power  brought  about 
by  Richelieu,  and  the  consequent  stability  and 
internal  peace  of  the  kingdom,  combined  with 
the  complete  change  in  methods  of  defence 
which  culminated  in  Vauban,  enabled  Louis 

XIV.  to  pull  down  the  walls  of  Paris  alto- 
gether, and  to  lay  out  the  space  covered  by  his 
predecessor's  fortifications  in  that  series  of  broad 
curved  avenues  which  still  bears  from  this  cir- 
cumstance the  name  of  Boulevards  (‘^bulwarks  " 
or  ramparts).  The  original  line  so  named,  from 
the  Bastille  to  the  Madeleine,  is  ordinarily 
spoken  of  to  this  day  simply  as  ‘‘the  Boule- 
vard.” All  the  others  called  by  the  same  have 
borrowed  the  title,  mostly  at  a very  recent  date, 
from  this  older  girdle.  Gradually,  the  fau- 
bourgs which  gathered  beyond  the  line  of  the 


The  Modern  City. 


377 


inner  city,  as  well  as  beyond  the  artificial  south- 
ern prolongation  of  the  Boulevards  by  which 
Louis  continued  his  circle,  with  true  French 
thoroughness  of  system,  on  the  southern  bank, 
have  entirely  coalesced  with  the  central  town, 
and  at  last  enormously  outgrown  it.  Never- 
theless, to  the  end,  the  Paris  of  Louis  XIV. 
continues  to  enclose  almost  all  that  is  vital  in 
the  existing  city.  Especially  is  Paris  within 
the  Great  Boulevards  to  this  day  the  Paris  of 
business  and  finance  : it  includes  the  Bourse, 
the  Banque  de  France,  the  Bourse  de  Com- 
merce, the  chief  markets,  the  Post  Office,  the 
Ministries  of  Finance,  Marine,  and  Justice,  the 
Hotel  de  Ville,  numerous  government  offices, 
the  principal  wholesale  warehouses,  financial 
firms,  and  agencies,  and  almost  all  the  best 
shops,  hotels,  banks,  and  business  houses. 

Even  the  inner  circle  itself,  again,  within  the 
Boulevards,  has  been  largely  transformed  by 
modern  alterations,  especially  in  that  extensive 
reorganisation  of  the  city  inaugurated  under 
Napoleon  III.  by  Baron  Haussmann.  In  the 
brief  itinerary  which  follows,  and  in  which  I 
liave  endeavoured  to  give  the  reader  in  two 
short  walks  or  drives  some  general  idea  of  the 


378 


Paris. 


development  of  the  Right  Bank,  with  its  chief 
points  of  interest,  I shall  indicate  roughly  the 
various  ages  of  the  great  thoroughfares,  and 
note  with  needful  conciseness  the  causes  which 
at  various  times  led  to  their  construction. 

Start  from  the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  and 
walk  eastward  along  the  Rue  de  Rivoli,  in  the 
direction  of  the  Louvre.  (If  you  like,  the  top 
of  an  omnibus  will  suffice  as  far  as  the  Hotel  de 
Ville.)  The  Place  de  la  Concorde  itself,  though 
old  in  essence,  is,  in  its  present  form,  quite  a 
modern  creation,  having  been  laid  out  in  1854 
under  the  Second  Empire,  when  it  was  decorated 
with  the  eight  seated  stone  figures,  wearing 
mural  crowns,  and  representing  the  chief  cities 
of  France  (including  Strasbourg).  The  Luxor 
obelisk  (age  of  Rameses  II.)  was  erected  in  the 
place,  in  its  simpler  form,  by  Louis  Philippe,  in 
1836.  The  two  handsome  large  buildings  on 
the  north  side  are  still  earlier  in  date,  age  of 
Louis  XV.  : one  of  them  is  occupied  by  the 
Minist^re  de  la  Marine,  — that  nearest  the 
Tuileries. 

Proceed  along  the  Rue  de  Rivoli,  driven 
through  this  part  of  Paris  by  Napoleon  I.  He 
was  a Corsican,  and  admired  his  native  Italian 


The  Modern  City, 


379 


arcaded  streets,  which  he  transplanted  to  Paris 
in  this  thoroughfare,  and  in  the  Rues  Casti- 
glione  and  des  Pyramides,  all  of  which  com- 
memorate his  victories.  The  form,  however, 
is  ill-adapted  to  the  North,  being  draughty 
and  sunless;  and  Frenchmen  have  never  cared 
for  the  Rue  de  Rivoli,  which  is  the  street  of 
strangers  and  especially  of  Englishmen.  The 
native  Parisian  has  always  preferred  to  sun 
himself  on  the  boulevards.  To  your  right  are 
the  gardens  of  the  Tuileries,  still  much  as  they 
were  laid  out  under  Louis  XIV.  by  Le  Notre, 
in  the  formal  style  which  well  accorded  with 
that  artificial  epoch.  They  contrast  markedly 
with  the  newer  portion,  further  east,  on  the  site 
of  the  palace,  laid  out  by  the  present  republic 
in  something  like  the  English  manner. 

On  the  left,  as  you  proceed,  lies  the  Rue 
Castiglione,  another  of  Napoleon’s  arcaded 
streets,  leading  up  to  the  Place  and  Colonne 
Vendome.  On  the  right,  a little  further  on, 
you  come  abreast  of  the  Louvre,  the  first  pavil- 
ion being  part  of  the  connecting  wing  of  the 
Tuileries.  On  the  left,  the  Rue  des  Pyramides, 
again  Napoleonic  ; and  further  to  the  left  opens 
up  the  Place  du  Palais-Royal,  with  the  facade 


380 


Paris. 


of  the  palace  showing  behind  it.  This  part, 
marked  Conseil  d’Etat,  is  the  original  building 
(much  restored  and  rebuilt)  ; it  was  erected 
by  Richelieu  for  his  own  occupation,  and  bore 
at  first  the  name  of  Palais-Cardinal.  Occupied 
after  his  death  by  the  widow  of  Louis  XIII., 
it  took  its  present  name ; and  was  later  the 
residence  of  the  notorious  regent,  Philippe 
d’ Orleans,  and  of  his  scheming  grandson, 
Philippe  Egalite.  The  garden  behind,  with  an 
arcade  of  shops,  now  half-deserted  and  uninter- 
esting, which  also  bears  the  name  of  Palais-Royal 
(almost  to  the  exclusion  of  the  original  building), 
was  laid  out  and  let  in  this  curious  way  by  the 
regent,  as  a commercial  speculation.  As  a 
relic  of  the  past,  it  is  worth  ten  minutes'  visit, 
sometime  in  passing. 

Continue  along  the  Rue  de  Rivoli,  eastward, 
till  you  reach  the  Rue  du  Louvre.  So  far,  you 
have  been  passing  through  the  Paris  of  Louis 
XIIL,  Louis  XIV.,  and  the  Empire;  but 
now  you  are  abreast  with  the  wall  of  Philippe 
Auguste,  and  enter  the  core  of  the  Right  Bank. 
Old  as  this  part  is,  however,  by  origin,  few  of 
its  buildings  are  mediaeval ; almost  everything 
has  been  re-made  in  the  Renaissance  period. 


TOWER  OF  ST.  JACQUES. 


The  Modern  City.  381 

To  your  right  lies  the  site  of  the  old  chateau 
of  the  Louvre,  and  opposite  it,  the  mediaeval 
Church  of  St.  Germain  TAuxerrois,  one  of  the 
few  remaining,  which  thus  announces  your 
arrival  in  early  Paris  from  the  town  of  Napoleon 
and  Frangois  (The  Rue  du  Louvre  itself 

is  of  very  recent  origin,  and  leads  to  the  left 
to  the  new  post-office.)  Still  going  east,  you 
have  on  your  right  the  tower  of  St.  Jacques, 
once  another  fine  mediaeval  church,  now  de- 
molished. Near  it,  on  the  left,  opens  out  the 
modern  Boulevard  de  Sebastopol,  forming  part 
of  the  great  trunk  line  from  north  to  south, 
which  was  a principal  feature  in  the  Haussmann- 
ising  plan.  It  is  known,  further  north,  as 
the  Boulevard  de  Strasbourg,  and  south  as  the 
Boulevard  du  Palais  and  the  Boulevard  St. 
Michel.  Keep  on  till  you  come  to  the  Hotel 
de  Ville,  the  centre  of  the  town  on  the  North 
Bank. 

The  old  Hotel  de  Ville,  which  this  building 
replaces,  was  erected  in  1553,  under  Frangois 
1%  by  an  Italian  architect,  in  emulation  of  the 
similar  buildings  in  Italy  and  the  Low  Countries. 
It  was  afterward  largely  added  to  at  various 
times,  and  played  an  important  part  in  the 


382 


Paris. 


history  of  Paris.  This  first  H6tel  de  Ville, 
however  (a  handsome  Renaissance  biuilding), 
was  unfortunately  burned  down  during  the  in- 
ternal struggles  of  1871.  The  present  edifice 
was  erected  shortly  after,  in  much  the  same 
style,  but  on  a larger  scale ; a walk  round  the 
exterior  will  help  to  piece  out  the  visitor’s 
conception  of  Renaissance  Paris.  Note  here 
once  more  the  pavilions  at  the  angles,  and  other 
features  which  recall  the  Louvre.  A visit  to 
the  interior  is  quite  unnecessary  for  any  save 
those  hardened  sightseers  who  desire  to  inspect 
the  decorations  and  arrangements  of  purely 
contemporary  buildings.  The  sole  reason  for 
coming  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville  at  all,  indeed, 
is  the  desirability  of  recognising  its  historic 
site,  and  understanding  that  here,  by  the  hall 
of  the  old  Prev6t  des  Marchands  and  the  seat 
of  the  revolutionary  Commune  of  Robespierre’s 
period,  you  stand  at  the  heart  of  La  Ville,  — 
the  Paris  of  the  merchants.  The  building  is 
occupied  by  the  Prefet  de  la  Seine,  — the  De- 
partment which  practically  coincides  with  Paris. 
The  place  in  front  of  it,  now  called  after  the 
hotel  itself,  is  the  old  Place  de  Gr^ve,  the 
famous  place  of  execution  under  the  old  mon- 


The  Modern  City.  38^ 

archy,  — almost  equally  conspicuous  in  the 
history  of  the  great  Revolution. 

Earlier  still  than  the  building  of  Francois 
I"  a ‘‘  Hostel  de  Ville’'  had  stood  upon  the 
same  site,  purchased  for  the  purpose  by 
Etienne  Marcel,  Prdvot  des  Marchands,  the 
real  founder  of  the  Paris  municipality  — to 
whom,  therefore,  a bronze  equestrian  statue 
has  been  erected  in  the  little  square  facing 
the  river. 

The  Hotel  de  Ville  forms  a convenient 
centre  from  which  to  begin  the  exploration 
of  the  core  of  the  northern  city.  Walk  round 
to  the  back  (with  a second  fine  facade)  and, 
between  the  two  handsome  barracks,  you  see 
towering  before  you  the  front  of  the  Church 
of  St.  Gervais.  This  is  an  old  church,  re- 
modelled ; and,  unlike  most  of  the  churches 
in  the  older  part  of  Paris,  it  does  not  com- 
memorate a local  saint.  Gervasius  and  Pro- 
tasius,  to  whom  it  is  dedicated,  were  two  very 
doubtful  martyrs  of  the  persecution  under 
Nero,  whose  names,  bodies,  and  resting-place 
were  miraculously  and  conveniently  revealed 
to  St.  Ambrose  at  Milan  (a.  d.  387)  at  the 
exact  moment  when  he  needed  relics  for  the 


church  he  had  built,  and  which  is  now  dedi- 
cated to  him,  — the  most  interesting  building 
in  that  beautiful  city.  St.  Germain,  Bishop 
of  Paris,  brought  back  some  relics  of  these 
saints  in  560 ; and  thenceforth  St.  Gervais 
and  St.  Portais  became  great  objects  of  cult, 
like  St.  Stephen,  in  the  Frankish  city.  They 
are  frequent  subjects  of  French  pictures  in 
the  seventeenth  century.  This  church,  dedi- 
cated to  them,  probably  occupies  the  site  of 
one  built  by  St.  Germain  in  their  honour.  It 
was  begun  in  1212,  added  to  and  completely 
altered  in  1420,  and  finally  remodelled  in 
front  in  the  later  Renaissance  or  classic  man- 
ner. Most  of  the  building  as  it  stands  is  late 
Gothic  ; but  you  must  go  to  the  side  to  see 
it  : the  ineongruous  elassic  fagade,  illustrating 
the  Doric,  Ionic,  and  Corinthian  orders,  was 
added  by  Debrosse  in  1616.  Notice  the  cold- 
ness and  bareness  of  this  pseudo-classical 
front,  as  compared  with  the  rich  detail  of  the 
earlier  mediaeval  exteriors.  Almost  the  only 
breaks  are  the  figures,  on  either  side,  of  the 
two  martyrs  to  contain  whose  relics  the 
church  was  built.  The  sides,  enclosed  in 
houses  which  go  close  up  to  the  wall,  show 


The  Modern  City. 


385 

the  earlier  architecture.  Most  churches  in 
Paris  were  so  walled  up  during  the  seven- 
teenth century.  The  tower,  and  the  aspect 
of  the  streets  at  the  side,  are  very  character- 
istic of  a set  of  old  effects  now  seldom  visible. 

The  interior  is  chiefly  noticeable  for  its 
great  height,  and  for  its  interesting  late 
Gothic  architecture.  The  patron  saints,  with 
their  palms  of  martyrdom,  stand  on  either 
side  of  the  high  altar.  The  chapels  at  the 
south  side  should  be  examined  separately  : in 
one  is  a good  stained  glass  window  by  Pinai- 
grier  (restored)  of  the  Judgment  of  Solomon. 
Notice  to  what  saint  each  is  dedicated.  The 
beautiful  flamboyant  lady-chapel,  behind  the 
choir,  contains  good  modern  frescoes,  illustrat- 
ing the  mystic  titles  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
whose  history  is  shown  in  the  stained  glass  of 
the  windows,  also  by  Pinaigrier,  but  very 
much  restored.  These  scenes  the  reader  will 
now,  I trust,  be  able  to  follow  for  himself,  — 
the  birth,  education,  marriage,  etc.,  of  the 
Virgin,  with  the  events  of  her  life  as  recorded 
in  the  Gospels,  and  her  death  and  assump- 
tion. Good  Pieta  (Christ  mourned  by  angels) 
as  you  return  on  the  north  side,  with  some 


Paris. 


386 

excellent  paintings,  — Martyrdom  of  St.  Juliet, 
etc.  I do  not  enlarge,  as  I hope  the  reader 
is  now  able  to  follow  the  lead  I have  given 
him  in  previous  churches. 

From  St.  Gervais,  walk  a little  way  along 
the  north  side  of  the  church,  enclosed  in  its 
curious  envelope  of  houses,  till  you  come  to 
the  Mairie  of  the  Fourth  Arrondissement. 
Then,  turn  up  into  the  Rue  de  la  Verrerie, 
along  which  continue  till  you  reach  the  side 
of  the  Church  of  St.  Merri,  almost  hidden 
from  view  by  a wall  of  houses.  The  facade 
is  round  the  corner,  in  the  Rue  St.  Martin. 
This  is  one  of  the  few  remaining  mediaeval 
churches  in  this  district.  St.  Merri  (Abbot 
Mederic  of  Autun)  was  a historical  saint  of 
the  seventh  century,  local  and  early.  He 
had  a hermitage  on  this  spot  (then  in  the 
woods),  and  was  finally  buried  here.  The 
shrine  over  his  tomb  became  the  centre  of  a 
Parisian  cult,  and  several  churches  rose  suc- 
cessively above  his  body.  The  present  one 
was  not  built  till  1520;  it  is  nevertheless  a 
good  late  Gothic  building.  But  notice  the 
decline  from  the  purity  of  Notre-Dame  and 
the  exquisite  lightness  of  St.  Louis’s  chapel. 


The  Modern  City.  387 

Handsome  flamboyant  doorway,  one  mass  of 
sculpture ; statues  of  twelve  Apostles,  with 
symbols  of  their  martyrdoms,  all  restored, 
after  being  destroyed  in  the  Revolution.  The 
interior  is  interesting,  but  spoilt  in  seven- 
teenth century ; good  stained  glass,  badly  in- 
jured. I bring  you  here  mainly  for  the  sake 
of  the  reminiseences. 

Continue  straight  on  through  characteristie 
old  streets,  to  the  modern  Boulevard  de  Sebas- 
topol, which  cuts  right  through  the  core  of 
Paris.  Cross  it  and  take  the  first  turn  to  the 
left  (as  you  walk  northward),  observing  the 
marked  contrast  of  the  modern  thoroughfare 
to  the  narrow  streets  we  have  just  been  travers- 
ing. Go  along  the  Rue  de  la  Reynie,  and 
continue  for  one  block,  till  you  see,  a little 
obliquely  to  your  right,  the  Square  des  Inno- 
cents. In  the  centre  rises  the  Fontaine  des 
Innocents,  designed  by  Pierre  Lescot,  with 
beautiful  and  appropriate  sculptured  figures 
of  nymphs,  bearing  urns  of  water,  by  Jean 
Goujon.  The  fountain  originally  stood  with 
its  back  to  the  Church  of  the  Innocents,  de- 
molished in  1783.  It  has  been  reerected  here, 
with  a fourth  side  added  (to  the  south),  and  has 


Paris. 


388 

been  much  altered  by  the  addition  of  a base 
and  cupola.  Nevertheless,  it  still  remains 
a beautiful  and  typical  example  of  French 
Renaissance  architecture  and  sculpture.  The 
coquettish  reliefs,  indeed,  are  not  perhaps  more 
lovely  than  those  which  adorn  Jean  Goujon’s 
portion  of  the  Louvre ; but  they  are  nearer  to 
the  eye,  and  the  scale  enables  one  to  judge 
of  the  entire  effect  more  truthfully.  The  other 
exquisite  nymphs  which  we  saw  in  the  Renais- 
sance sculpture  at  the  Louvre  were  originally 
part  of  the  same  fountain.  The  pretty  little 
square  in  which  the  fountain  stands  is  charac- 
teristic of  the  many  democratic  public  gardens 
of  Paris. 

Proceed  diagonally  across  the  square,  and 
continue  along  the  north  side  of  the  Halles 
.Centrales,  till  the  east  end  of  St.  Eustache,  with 
its  characteristic  French  chevet,  comes  in  view 
before  you.  At  the  Pointe  St.  Eustache,  as  you 
cross  the  roadway,  look  up  the  vistas  of  un- 
Haussmannised  Paris,  again  contrasting  vividly 
with  the  broad  Rue  de  Turbigo,  which  runs 
hence  to  the  Place  de  la  Republique.  Do  not 
enter  at  the  first  door  at  which  you  arrive,  — 
the  one  in  the  chevet,  a rather  good  one, 


The  Modern  City. 


389 


* — but  continue  along  the  south  side  of  the 
church,  observing  as  you  pass  the  beautiful  tran- 
sept, with  fine  rose  window,  noble  Renaissance 
portal,  and  a stag’s  head  with  the  crucifix  (em- 
blem of  St.  Eustace)  surmounting  the  gable. 
Go  on  round  the  corner  to  the  gaunt,  bare, 
lumbering,  and  unimposing  late  Renaissance 
or  classical  fagade.  In  this  you  see  the  worst 
aspect  of  the  decadent  Renaissance  architecture 
of  Louis  XIV.,  — no  saints,  no  archways.  The 
door  to  the  right  gives  access  to  the  interior. 
In  any  other  town  but  Paris,  so  splendid  a 
building,  rivalling  many  cathedrals,  would  at- 
tract numerous  visitors.  Here,  it  is  hardly 
noticed.  This  is  the  church  of  the  Dames 
de  la  Halle,”  or  market-women,  who  may  often 
be  observed  in  it. 

We  have  already  seen  in  brief  at  Cluny  the 
main  elements  of  the  story  of  St.  Eustace, 
the  saint  who  was  converted  by  the  apparition 
of  the  Christ  between  the  horns  of  the  stag 
he  was  pursuing.  Though  not  a local  martyr, 
St.  Eustace  early  obtained  great  consideration 
in  Paris.  But  the  first  church  here  was  one 
to  St.  Agnes  : look  out  for  memorials  of  her 
throughout  the  building.  St.  Eustace  had  prac- 


390 


Paris. 


tically  supplanted  her  as  early  as  1223  : his 
church,  after  many  enlargements,  was  finally 
pulled  down  under  Francois  F*',  and  the  present 
splendid  Renaissance  edifice  erected  in  its  place 
in  1532;  completed  in  1640.  It  is  a strangely 
picturesque  and  unique  building.  St.  Eustache, 
indeed,  displays  Renaissance  architecture  in  a 
transitional  state,  endeavouring  vainly  to  free 
itself  from  the  traditions  of  the  Gothic.  In  gen- 
eral plan,  and  in  the  combination  of  all  its  parts, 
it  is  in  essence  a Gothic  cathedral ; but  its  arches 
are  round,  and  its  detail  and  decorative  work 
are  all  conceived  in  the  classical  spirit  of  the 
Renaissance.  If  you  wish  to  see  the  differ 
ence  between  such  a church  and  one  in  which 
developed  Renaissance  methods  have  finally 
triumphed,  you  must  visit  St.  Sulpice. 

Notice  three  things  about  St.  Eustache:  (i) 
it  replaces  a church  to  St.  Agnes,  who  is  still 
one  of  its  two  patronesses  ; (2)  it  is  the  great 
musical  church  of  Paris  ; (3)  it  is  the  church 
of  the  markets. 

Immediately  on  entering,  stand  in  the  centre 
of  the  nave,  and  look  up  the  church  toward 
the  choir  and  chevet.  The  enormous  size  of 
the  building  will  at  once  strike  you.  Notice, 


The  Modern  City.  391 

too,  the  tall,  round  arches  of  the  nave  and 
aisles,  the  triforium  above  them  (best  seen  from 
the  aisles),  and,  higher  still,  the  clerestory  rising 
above  the  aisle-vaulting.  The  proportions  are 
admirable.  Observe  also  the  roof,  essentially 
Gothic  in  plan,  though  with  an  incongruous 
substitution  of  round  for  pointed  arches.  But 
note  that  all  these  quasi-Gothic  constructive 
features  are  combined  with  classical  columns 
and  pilasters  of  the  three  great  orders  — Doric, 
Ionic,  Corinthian  — superimposed,  and  with  such 
Renaissance  detail  as  masks,  cherubs,  and  other 
later  decorative  features. 

Now  walk  up  the  right  aisle.  Everything 
in  this  church  is,  of  course,  comparatively 
modern,  but  still  rich  in  symbolism.  Most  of 
the  chapels  have  their  names  inscribed  upon 
them, — an  excellent  feature.  The  first,  con- 
taining Franciscan  saints,  has  a good  modern 
stained-glass  window,  representing  the  saints 
and  patrons  of  the  order,  — St.  Francis,  St. 
Louis,  etc.  Observe  the  frescoes  in  the  va- 
rious chapels,  and  note  their  applicability  to 
the  saints  to  whom  they  are  dedicated.  I 
need  not  now  enlarge  upon  this  point.  For 
example,  the  chapel  of  the  souls  in  purgatory 


392 


Paris. 


has  a relief  of  Christ  bound  to  the  pillar  — 
his  purgatory  — (a  portion  of  it  is  preserved 
here)  and  a fresco  representing  mourning 
souls  below,  with  triumphant  ones  in  heaven. 
Observe  from  this  point  the  beautiful  Renais- 
sance detail  of  the  aisles  and  of  the  vaulting 
in  the  ambulatory,  or  passage  behind  the 
choir.  Do  not  overlook  the  chapels  of  St. 
Agnes  (co-patroness)  and  St.  Cecilia,  the  in- 
ventress  of  the  organ  and  patroness  of  music. 
The  transepts  are  very  short,  but  are  deco- 
rated with  good  rose  windows  and  other  ex- 
cellent semi-Gothic  detail.  Walk  round  the 
ambulatory,  noticing  as  you  go  the  various 
chapels  with  their  polychromatic  decoration 
and  their  appropriate  frescoes.  Thus,  that  of 
St.  Anne  contains  a representation  of  the  saint 
educating  her  daughter,  the  Virgin.  Note  also 
on  your  left  as  you  go  the  delicate  work  of 
the  choir-screen,  and  the  excellent  vaulting 
and  decoration  of  the  lofty  choir.  The  lady- 
chapel  behind  the  choir  is  not  wholly  pleas- 
ing. It  contains  a good  eighteenth  century 
statue  of  the  Virgin  and  Child  by  Pigalle. 
Observe  particularly  in  the  north  part  of 
the  ambulatory  the  chapel  of  Ste.  Genevieve, 


The  Modern  City. 


393 


with  scenes  from  her  legend.  The  chapel  of 
St.  Louis,  next  it,  contains  excellent  modern 
frescoes  from  his  life,  by  Barrias,  and  a fine 
stained-glass  window  of  his  education,  with 
his  mother,  Blanche  of  Castille,  looking  on, 
beneath  a canopy  marked  with  fleurs-de-lis 
and  the  three  castles  of  Castille.  One  fresco 
represents  him  taking  the  crown  of  thorns 
to  the  Sainte  Chapelle.  Observe  these  little 
historical  reminiscences ; they  add  interest. 
Pleasing  reliefs  in  the  north  transept  of  St. 
Cecilia  and  King  David,  representing  music, 
for  which  this  church  has  always  been  cele- 
brated, especially  on  St.  Cecilia’s  Day  and 
Good  F'riday.  They  stand  for  psalms  and 
hymns, — the  Jewish  and  the  Christian  psalm- 
ody. Notice,  again,  the  figure  of  St.  Agnes 
with  her  lamb,  between  the  doorways,  a 
tribute  to  the  earlier  dedication  of  the  build- 
ing. Above  it,  good  stained-glass  window  of 
the  Annunciation,  with  traditional  details. 
Do  not  be  content  to  notice  merely  the  points 
to  which  I call  attention,  but  observe  for 
yourself,  as  you  go,  the  other  figures,  with 
their  meaning  and  connection.  To  spell  it 
all  out  is  half  the  pleasure.  Above  the  holy 


394 


Paris. 


water  vessel  in  this  transept  is  a figure  of 
Pope  Alexander  L,  who  first  sanctioned  the 
use  of  holy  water,  accompanied  by  angels. 
Beneath  it,  the  baffled  and  disappointed  de- 
mons, fleeing  from  the  consecrated  water. 
The  next  chapel  contains  the  relics  of  St. 
Eustace  and  his  children,  martyrs.  It  is, 
perhaps,  a little  characteristic  of  modern  feel- 
ing that  the  half-mythical  namesake  saint  of 
the  church  should  thus  be  relegated  to  a 
subordinate  chapel  in  the  edifice  originally 
erected  to  his  honour.  The  pictures  are  im- 
itated from  those  in  the  Catacombs  at  Rome. 
Notice,  in  particular,  the  fresco  of  St.  Eustace 
kneeling  before  the  stag,  which  displays  be- 
tween its  horns  the  miraculous  image ; also 
the  subsequent  scenes  of  his  legend  (for 
which,  see  Mrs.  Jameson).  Beautiful  view 
from  this  point  of  the  choir  and  ambulatory. 

Do  not  leave  this  interesting  building  with- 
out having  examined  all  its  details.  It  con- 
tains enough  to  occupy  you  for  several  hours, 
and  is  rich  in  illustrations  of  modern  Catholic 
sentiment.  Even  the  most  tawdry  bits  of  its 
modern  church  furniture  become  of  interest 
when  examined  as  parts  of  a consistent  whole, 


395 


The  Modern  City. 

falling  into  their  due  place  in  a great  system 
of  belief  and  the  government  of  conduct.  You 
have  not  really  understood  a church  till  you 
have  grasped  this  connection  between  its  vari- 
ous members.  Ask  yourself  always,  ‘‘Why  is 
this  here  ? ''  and  though  you  may  not  always 
be  able  to  see,  the  longer  you  proceed  to  in- 
vestigate in  this  spirit,  the  more  will  the  mean- 
ing of  the  whole  come  home  to  you.  For 
example,  return  to  the  south  transept  and 
observe  the  figure  of  St.  Gregory  : he  is  the 
musical  Father  from  whom  the  Gregorian 
chants  take  their  name,  and  as  such  deserves 
commemoration  in  the  musical  church. 

Quitting  St.  Eustache,  you  can  continue 
westward  a few  steps,  and  then  turn  down  a 
short  street  on  the  left,  which  leads  you  obliquely 
to  a curious  circular  building,  the  Bourse  de 
Commerce.  Skirt  round  this  till  you  come  to 
its  ugly  fagade,  and  then  continue  your  way 
into  the  Rue  du  Louvre. 

This  short  walk  will  have  enabled  you  to  take 
your  bearings  in  the  heart  of  the  old  district 
north  of  the  river.  You  can  prolong  it  a little, 
if  you  choose,  through  the  town  of  Louis  XIV., 
by  v/alking  northward  along  the  Rue  du  Louvre 


396 


Paris. 


as  far  as  the  new  post-office,  and  then  turning 
to  the  left  into  the  little  circular  Place  des 
Victoires  with  its  clumsy  rearing  equestrian 
statue  of  the  Grand  Monarch.  The  place  dates 
from  his  reign,  and  was  designed  by  Mansart. 
Originally  known  as  the  Place  Louis  XIV., 
it  was  decorated  by  an  earlier  statue  of  the 
king,  destroyed  in  the  Revolution.  The  Res- 
toration replaced  it  by  the  present  ugly  monu- 
ment. A few  steps  to  the  northwest  stands 
the  Church  of  Notre-Dame  des  Victoires,  begun 
in  1656,  to  commemorate  the  taking  of  La 
Rochelle,  the  Huguenot  stronghold.  It  is  in- 
structive to  compare  this  building  of  the  worst 
period  with  the  mediaeval  and  Renaissance 
churches  you  have  just  been  examining.  The 
Rue  Notre-Dame  des  Victoires  will  lead  you 
hence  up  to  the  Bourse  (adequately  viewed 
from  outside),  whence  the  brand-new  Rue  du 
4 Septembre  takes  you  straight  back  to  the 
Opera  and  the  centre  of  modern  Paris. 

I have  only  walked  you  here  through  a small 
part  of  this  older  town ; but  if  you  care  to 
explore  the  interesting  district,  rich  in  Renais- 
sance and  even  mediaeval  buildings,  which  lies 
to  the  east  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  you  cannot  do 


PLACE  DES  VICTOIRES.  — EQUESTRIAN  STATUE  OF  LOUIS  XIV. 


The  Modern  City. 


397 


better  than  take  Mr.  Augustus  Hare’s  ''  Paris  ” 
as  your  guide,  — a valuable  book,  especially 
rich  in  historical  reminiscences  of  the  Renais- 
sance period,  the  epoch  of  Louis  XIV.,  and  the 
great  Revolution.  Mr.  Hare  will  lead  you  to 
many  forgotten  nooks  of  old  Paris,  which  the 
modest  dimensions  of  the  present  book  are 
insufficient  to  deal  with.  But  I advise  you  only 
to  explore  these  less-known  byways  after  you 
have  examined  all  the  objects  of  first-rate 
importance  here  enumerated. 

The  Musee  Carnavalet,  also  in  this  district, 
you  had  better  defer  visiting  till  after  you  have 
seen  the  Ecole  des  Beaux-Arts,  in  the  St. 
Germain  Quarter,  south  of  the  river.  It  will 
be  noticed  later. 


CHAPTER  XVIIL 


THE  GREAT  BOULEVARDS. 

SECOND,  and  doubtless  to  the  reader  by 


this  time  more  familiar  walk,  round  the 
Great  Boulevards,  will  suffice  to  give  a hasty 
conception  of  the  Paris  of  Louis  XIV.  and 
his  immediate  successors.  Even  if  you  are 
already  well  acquainted  with  the  route,  go  over 
it  once  more,  if  only  on  the  top  of  an  omnibus, 
at  this  stage  of  your  investigation,  in  order 
to  take  your  bearings  more  fully.  It  must  be 
borne  in  mind,  for  the  purposes  of  this  walk 
or  ride,  that  in  the  earlier  mediaeval  period 
the  district  between  the  boulevards  and  the 
central  core  consisted,  for  the  most  part,  of 
gardens  and  fields,  among  which  were  inter- 
spersed a few  rural  monasteries  and  suburban 
churches.  These  last  have  long  since,  of  course, 
become  wholly  imbedded  in  modern  Paris,  but 
I will  note  as  we  pass  a few  earlier  objects 


398 


INTERIOR  OF  THE  MADELEINE. 


I 


The  Great  Boulevards. 


399 

which  it  may  be  interesting,  for  those  who  have 
time,  to  diverge  and  visit. 

Start  from  the  Luxor  Obelisk  in  the  Place 
de  la  Concorde  (noting  here  and  elsewhere 
the  Roman  reminiscence  of  the  bronze  ships  of 
Paris  on  the  gas-lamps  — as  you  see  them  at 
the  Thermes),  and  walk  up  the  Rue  Royale, 
— the  first  portion  of  the  great  ring  of  streets 
which  girdles  the  city  of  Louis  XIV.  The  Rue 
St.  Honore,  to  your  right,  was,  before  the  con- 
struction of  the  Rue  de  Rivoli  and  the  Champs 
Elysees,  the  chief  road  which  led  westward  out 
of  ancient  Paris.  The  Porte  St.  Honore  stood 
on  this  site,  where  it  crossed  the  barrier  by  the 
modern  Rue  Royale.  Beyond  it,  the  street 
takes  the  characteristic  name  of  the  Rue  du 
Faubourg  St.  Honore ; and  all  the  other  streets 
which  cross  the  girdle  similarly  change  their 
name  to  that  of  the  corresponding  Faubourg 
as  they  pass  beyond  it.  These  long  straggling 
roads,  lined  with  houses  on  the  outskirts  (Fau- 
bourg St.  Honore,  Montmartre,  St.  Denis,  du 
Temple,  etc.),  have  finally  become  the  chief  resi- 
dential quarters  of  the  city  at  the  present  day. 

The  handsome  classical  building  in  front  of 
us  is  the  Madeleine  (Church  of  St.  Mary 


400 


Paris. 


Magdalen),  — the  last  stage  in  the  classical 
mania  which  substituted  Graeco-Roman  tem- 
ples for  Christian  churches  and  other  edifices. 
(See  previous  stages  in  St.  Paul  and  St. 
Louis,  the  Sorbonne,  the  Invalides,  the  Pan- 
theon, etc.)  Begun  under  Louis  XV.,  it  was 
not  completed  till  the  Restoration.  In  style 
it  follows  the  late  Roman  variation  on  the 
Corinthian-Greek  model.  Notice,  however,  as 
you  approach,  that  even  this  Grecian  building 
bears  on  its  purely  classical  pediment  the 
stereotyped  Parisian  subject  of  the  Last  Judg- 
ment, with  the  Angel  of  the  Last  Trump, 
and  the  good  and  wicked  to  right  and  left  of 
the  Redeemer.  Only,  in  this  case,  St.  Mary 
Magdalen,  under  whose  invocation,  as  the  in- 
scription states,  the  church  is  dedicated,  kneels 
by  the  left  side  of  Christ,  imploring  mercy 
for  the  wicked.  Compare  this  last  term  in 
the  treatment  of  this  old  conventional  portal- 
relief  with  its  naif  beginnings  at  Notre-Dame 
and  St.  Denis.  It  is  also  worth  while  to  enter 
and  inspect  the  chapels,  the  paintings  and  sculp- 
ture in  which  will  reveal  their  dedications. 

The  Rue  Royale  forms  the  first  part  of  the 
girdle  of  Louis  XIV.  From  the  Madeleine  on- 


The  Great  Boulevards.  401 

ward,  we  enter  that  wider  part  of  this  girdle 
which  still  distinctively  hears  the  name  of  the 
Boulevard.  To  our  left  Baron  Haussmann’s 
quite  modern  Boulevard  Malesherbes  opens 
up  a vista  of  the  recent  and  unsatisfactory 
Church  of  St.  Augustin,  — a great  ornate 
pseudo-Romanesque  building,  unhappily  accom- 
modated to  the  space  at  the  architect’s  dis- 
posal. Proceeding  along  the  Boulevard  de  la 
Madeleine,  and  then  the  Boulevard  des  Capu- 
cines,  we  arrive  in  a few  minutes  at  the  Place 
de  r Opera,  undoubtedly  the  central  nodal 
point  of  modern  Paris.  To  our  left  stands 
the  great  Opera  House,  erected  at  vast  ex- 
pense in  the  gaudy  meretricious  style  of  the 
Second  Empire,  and  decorated  with  good,  but 
too  voluptuous  modern  sculpture.  Two  new 
streets  branch  right  and  left  of  it.  Walk 
round  them,  and  so  take  the  measure  of 
the  building.  To  our  right  the  Avenue  de 
r Opera  has  been  run  diagonally  across  the 
older  streets  of  Louis  XIV. ’s  town,  toward 
the  Palais  Royal  and  the  Theatre  Frangais. 
This  is  nov7  one  of  the  finest  thoroughfares 
of  the  existing  town.  Nevertheless,  the  old 
Boulevard,  above  all  in  this  part  of  its  circuit, 


402 


Paris. 


remains  the  centre  of  Parisian  life,  thought, 
and  movement.  Especially  is  it  the  region  of 
cafes  and  theatres.  Here  also  the  older  Rue 
de  la  Paix,  one  of  the  earliest  fine  open 
thoroughfares  in  Paris,  leads  to  the  irregular 
octagonal  Place  Vendome,  laid  out  under 
Louis  XIV.,  and  said  to  owe  its  canted  corners 
to  the  king's  own  personal  initiative.  This 
place  is  a good  example  of  the  best  domestic 
architecture  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Its 
centre  is  occupied  by  the  great  bronze  column 
(Colonne  Vendome)  originally  erected  by  Na- 
poleon to  commemorate  his  victories.  It  was 
pulled  down  by  the  Commune,  but  (the  frag- 
ments having  been  preserved)  was  reerected 
after  the  triumph  of  the  National  party.  Round 
it  in  a long  spiral  run  a series  of  reliefs,  sug- 
gested by  those  on  Trajan's  Column  at  Rome ; 
but  while  the  Roman  pillar  was  surrounded 
by  a Forum  of  several  stories,  with  open  porti- 
coes from  which  the  sculpture  could  be  in- 
spected, the  sculpture  on  Napoleon's  is  quite 
invisible,  except  just  at  the  base,  owing  to 
the  lack  of  any  similar  elevated  platform  from 
which  to  view  it.  The  other  great  street  di- 
verging from  the  Place  de  I'Opera  to  the 


BOURSE. 


The  Great  Boulevards.  403 

right,  the  Rue  du  4 Septembre,  leads  to  the 
Bourse  (uninteresting),  and  is  part  of  the 
modern  arterial  system. 

Continuing  along  the  line  of  Louis  XIV. 's 
Boulevards,  we  reach  next  the  Boulevard  des 
Italiens,  and  then  turn  obtusely  round  into  the 
Boulevard  Montmartre.  To  our  left  lies  the 
faubourg  of  that  name,  long  since  swallowed 
up  by  the  engulfing  city.  At  the  Rue  St. 
Denis  (the  great  north  road  of  Paris),  we  ar- 
rive at  one  of  the  debased  classical  triumphal 
arches  (Porte  St.  Denis)  which  Louis  XIV. 
erected  in  place  of  the  ancient  castellated 
gates.  It  is  more  or  less  decorated  with  con- 
temporary reliefs  representing  his  victories ; 
these,  and  the  inscriptions,  are  worth  examin- 
ing. Beyond  the  gate,  the  road  to  St.  Denis, 
much  traversed  in  earlier  times  by  pilgrims, 
takes  the  significant  name  of  Rue  du  Fau- 
bourg St.  Denis.  A little  farther  on,  the 
modern  trunk  line  of  Haussmann’s  Boulevard 
de  Sebastopol,  hewn  straight  through  the 
heart  of  the  earlier  town,  intersects  the  old 
fortifications,  leading  on  the  right  to  the  Cite, 
and  on  the  left  to  the  Gare  de  TEst,  in  which 
direction  it  is  known  as  the  Boulevard  de 


404 


Paris. 


Strasbourg.  The  next  corner,  the  Rue  St. 
Martin,  which  similarly  changes  its  name  to 
that  of  its  faubourg  as  it  crosses  the  limit  of 
the  earlier  town,  is  marked  by  a second  of 
Louis  XIV.'s  arches,  the  Porte  St.  Martin 
(not  quite  so  ugly),  whose  sculpture  is  again 
worthy  of  notice  on  historical  grounds,  if  not 
on  artistic. 

A little  way  down  the  Rue  St.  Martin,  to  the 
right,  lies  the  Conservatoire  des  Arts  et  Me- 
tiers (uninteresting  internally),  which  occupies 
the  site  of  the  former  Cluniac  Priory  of  St. 
Martin-des-Champs,  after  which  the  street  is 
still  called.  This  was  one  of  the  principal  old 
monasteries  in  the  belt  outside  the  girdling 
walls  of  Philippe  Auguste,  though  included 
within  those  of  Etienne  Marcel.  It  was 
founded  as  early  as  the  eleventh  century. 
The  Conservatoire  itself,  as  an  industrial  ex- 
hibition, is  hardly  worth  a visit  (except  for 
technical  purposes),  but  it  ought  to  be  in- 
spected for  the  sake  of  the  old  church  of  the 
monastery  which  it  contains  (enter  it  to  view 
interior;  open  on  Sundays,  Tuesdays,  and 
Thursdays  only),  as  well  as  for  the  fine  re- 
fectory of  the  thirteenth  century,  a beautiful 


The  Great  Boulevards.  405 

Gothic  hall,  probably  erected  by  Pierre  de 
Montereau,  the  architect  of  the  Sainte  Chapelle, 
who  also  built  the  other  refectory,  now  des- 
troyed, at  St.  Germain-des-Pres  in  the  southern 
faubourg. 

A little  further  on  in  the  same  street  is  the 
interesting  Gothic  church  of  St.  Nicholas- 
des-Champs,  with  rather  picturesque  Renais- 
sance additions.  It  stood,  when  first  built, 
far  out  in  the  country.  The  fine  west  porch 
is  of  the  fifteenth  century.  These  buildings 
are  chiefly  worth  notice  as  enabling  the  visi- 
tor mentally  to  restore  the  outer  ring  of  mon- 
asteries and  churches  during  the  early  mediaeval 
period,  afterward  englobed  in  the  town  of 
Louis  XIV.,  and  now  in  many  cases  adapted 
to  alien  modern  uses. 

Return  to  the  main  line  of  the  boulevards, 
which  here  become  distinctly  shabbier  and 
pass  through  a poorer  district.  This  part  of 
Paris  is  destitute  of  immediate  interest,  but 
should  be  traversed  in  order  to  give  the  visi- 
tor a just  idea  of  the  extent  and  relations  of 
the  eighteenth  century  city.  We  arrive  be- 
fore long  at  the  Place  de  la  Republique,  for- 
merly the  Place  du  Chateau-d’Eau,  now  adorned 


Paris. 


406 

with  a new  bronze  statue  of  the  Republic. 
From  this  place  several  more  new  boulevards, 
in  various  directions,  pierce  through  the 
poorer  and  densely  populated  regions  of  east- 
ern and  northeastern  Paris.  Along  the  main 
line,  the  Boulevards  du  Temple,  des  Filles 
du  Calvaire,  and  Beaumarchais  lead  hence 
through  increasingly  poorer-looking  districts 
to  the  Place  de  la  Bastille,  where  stood  the 
famous  strong  castle  of  that  name  (Bastille 
St.  Antoine),  destroyed  in  the  Revolution. 
Its  site  is  now  occupied  by  the  Colonne  de 
Juillet,  erected  to  commemorate  the  Revolu- 
tion of  1830.  Hence  the  Rue  St.  Antoine 
leads  on  the  right  in  one  line  into  the  Rue 
de  Rivoli  near  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  Beyond 
the  line  of  the  boulevards,  to  the  left,  it  takes 
the  name  of  Rue  du  Faubourg  St.  Antoine. 
This  was  the  region  of  the  poorer  and  fiery 
revolutionists  of  1789-93. 

The  district  within  the  boulevards  in  this 
direction  was,  in  the  Valois  period,  the  most 
fashionable  part  of  Paris.  It  contained  the 
old  royal  palace  of  the  Hotel  St.  Paul,  to- 
gether with  numerous  other  hotels  of  the 
French  nobility.  From  the  Place  de  la  Bas- 


PLACE  DE  LA  BASTILLE. — COLONNE  DE 


The  Great  Boulevards.  4^7 

tille,  also,  new  boulevards  diverge  in  several 
directions.  You  had  better  return  to  the 
centre  of  the  town  by  the  Rue  St.  Antoine, 
where  the  third  turning  to  the  right  will  lead 
you  direct  into  the  Place  des  Vosges,  a curi- 
ous belated  relic  of  the  Paris  of  Henry  IV. 
Its  interesting  architecture  and  quiet  stranded 
air  will  well  repay  you  for  the  slight  detour, 
and  will  suggest  to  you  the  possibility  of 
many  similar  agreeable  walks  in  the  same 
district.  Mr.  Hare  will  prove  a most  efficient 
guide  to  this  quaint  district,  for  those  who 
have  time  to  explore  it  thoroughly.  Remem- 
ber always  that  the  least  important  part  of 
Paris,  historically  speaking,  is  the  western 
region  which  alone  is  known  to  most  passing 
strangers. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


THE  FAUBOURG  ST.  GERMAIN. 

HE  town  on  the  North  Side,  we  saw,  was 


-L  early  surrounded  by  a suburban  belt  of 
gardens  and  monasteries.  A similar  zone  en- 
circled the  old  University  on  the  South  Bank. 
The  wall  of  Philippe  Auguste,  you  will  re- 
member, bent  abruptly  southward  in  order  to 
enclose  the  abbey  of  Ste.  Genevieve ; but  an 
almost  more  important  monastic  establishment 
was  left  outside  it  a little  to  the  west.  This 
was  the  gigantic  abbey  of  St.  Germain-des- 
Pres,  whose  very  name  betokens  its  original 
situation.  This  rich  and  powerful  community, 
whose  building  covered  an  enormous  area  of 
ground  on  the  Left  Bank,  and  grew  at  last 
into  a town  by  itself,  was  originally  founded 
by  Childebert  I.  as  a thanks-offering  for  his 
victory  over  the  Visigoths  in  Spain  in  543. 
Childebert,  it  may  be  remarked,  was  one  of 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  409 

the  most  religious-minded  among  the  Frank- 
ish monarchs,  — which  is  why  we  have  more 
than  once  met  with  his  effigy  in  Gothic  sculp- 
ture. He  was  also  one  of  those  few  Mero- 
vingian kings  who  especially  made  his  residence 
in  Paris.  On  the  portal  of  the  other  St.  Ger- 
main (FAuxerrois),  which  has  numerous  points 
in  common  with  this  one,  we  saw  him  repre- 
sented with  his  wife  Ultrogothe  and  the  earlier 
St.  Germain,  a naive  way  of  expressing  the 
fact  that  the  king  and  queen  first  gave  that 
church  to  the  sainted  bishop.  At  the  Louvre, 
too,  we  saw  his  statue  from  this  very  monas- 
tery. Among  the  sacred  objects  which  Childe- 
bert  brought  back  from  Spain  was  the  tunic 
of  St.  Vincent,  the  patron  saint  of  prisoners. 
When  he  was  besieging  Saragossa,  he  saw  the 
inhabitants  carry  this  tunic  in  unarmed  proces- 
sion round  the  walls  ; which  so  convinced  him 
of  its  value  that  he  raised  the  siege,  on  con- 
dition that  he  might  take  the  holy  object  home 
with  him.  He  also  brought  a large  rich  gold 
cross,  ornamented  with  precious  stones,  from 
Toledo,  — a piece  of  jeweller’s  work  which 
might  probably  be  compared  with  the  crowns 
of  the  Gothic  kings  preserved  at  Cluny.  St. 


410 


Paris. 


Germain,  Bishop  of  Paris  (who  must  not  be 
confounded  with  his  earlier  namesake  of  Aux- 
erre),  recommended  to  the  king  the  founda- 
tion of  a new  church  and  abbey,  in  order  fitly 
to  receive  these  holy  relics.  A church  was  there- 
fore built  in  the  garden  belt  outside  the  wall, 
and  was  originally  dedicated  (as  was  natural) 
to  the  holy  cross  and  St.  Vincent.  The  latter 
thus  became  one  of  the  local  saints  of  Paris, 
through  its  possession  of  his  tunic ; and  his 
effigy  may  often  be  seen,  with  or  without  that 
of  his  brother  deacon  St.  Stephen,  on  many 
of  the  older  buildings  of  the  city.  We  noticed 
him  in  particular  on  the  portal  of  St.  Germain 
TAuxerrois,  and  on  the  frescoes  within,  though 
it  was  premature  then  to  explain  his  presence. 
Note  here  that  possession  of  the  body  of  a 
saint  (St.  Denis,  Ste.  Genevieve)  or  of  some 
important  relic  (St.  Vincent’s  tunic,  St.  Mar- 
tin’s cloak  at  St.  Severin)  almost  invariably 
gives  rise  to  local  churches,  and  decides  the 
cult  of  local  patrons. 

Later  on,  St.  Germain  of  Paris,  having  died, 
was  buried  in  turn  in  Childebert’s  church  of 
St.  Vincent.  His  body  being  preserved  here 
(as  it  still  is)  and  working  many  miraculous 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain,  41 1 

cures,  it  came  about  in  time  that  St.  Vincent 
and  the  holy  cross  were  almost  forgotten, 
and  the  local  bishop  whose  bones  were  revered 
on  the  spot  grew  to  be  the  acknowledged 
patron  of  the  mighty  abbey  which  surrounded 
his  shrine.  Such  of  the  early  Merovingian 
kings  as  were  buried  in  Paris  had  their  tombs 
in  this  first  church ; their  stone  coffins  may 
still  be  seen  at  the  Hotel  Carnavalet.  The 
abbey,  which  belonged  to  monks  of  the  Bene- 
dictine order,  grew  to  be  one  of  the  most 
famous  in  Europe ; its  name  is  still  bestowed 
upon  the  whole  of  the  faubourg  (long  since 
imbedded  in  the  modern  town)  of  which  it 
forms  the  centre.  It  was  to  the  South  Bank 
what  St.  Denis  was  to  Northern  Paris. 

The  existing  church,  of  course,  save  for  a 
few  small  fragments,  is  of  far  later  date  than 
the  age  of  Childebert.  Most  of  the  Paris 
churches  and  monasteries  suffered  severely  at 
the  hands  of  the  Normans  ; even  those  which 
were  not  then  burnt  down  or  sacked  were 
demolished  and  rebuilt  in  a more  sumptuous 
style,  by  the  somewhat  irreverent  piety  of  later 
ages.  This,  the  present  church  of  St.  Ger- 
main-des-Pres,  belongs  for  the  most  part  to  the 


412 


Paris. 


eleventh  century.  It  is  therefore  older  than 
Notre-Dame  or  the  Sainte  Chapelle,  and  even 
as  a whole  than  the  greater  part  of  St.  Denis. 
It  exhibits  throughout  that  earlier  Romanesque 
style,  which  formed  the  transitional  term  be- 
tween classical  architecture  and  the  pointed 
arches  of  the  Gothic  period.  (What  we  call 
Norman ''  is  a local  modification  of  Roman- 
esque.) Portions  of  the  building,  however, 
show  Gothic  tendency ; and  the  upper  part  is 
pure  Pointed.  Most  of  the  abbey  has  long 
since  been  swept  away ; a small  part  of  the 
building  still  remains  in  the  rear  of  the  exist- 
ing church.  St.  Germain  should  be  visited,  if 
only  on  account  of  the  fact  that  it  is  the  earli- 
est large  ecclesiastical  building  now  standing 
in  or  near  Paris.  Flandrin’s  noble  modern 
frescoes  have  given  it  of  comparatively  recent 
years  another  form  of  attractivenesss. 

During  the  Renaissance  period,  while  many 
of  the  nobility  fixed  their  seats  in  the  eastern 
and  northeastern  part  of  Paris-within-the-Boule- 
vards  on  the  Right  Bank,  not  a few  erected 
houses  for  themselves  in  the  open  spaces  of 
the  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  The  most  magnif- 
icent of  these  later  buildings  is  the  Palais  du 


LUXEMBOURG. — SENATE  CHAMBER. 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  413 

Luxembourg,  erected  for  Marie  de  Medicis, 
after  the  death  of  Henri  IV.,  by  Jacques  De- 
brosse,  one  of  the  best  French  architects  of 
the  generation  which  succeeded  that  of  Jean 
Goujon  and  Philibert  Delorme.  It  was  built 
somewhat  after  the  style  of  the  Pitti  Palace 
at  Florence,  where  Marie  was  born,  and  it 
exhibits  the  second  stage  of  P'rench  Renais- 
sance architecture,  when  it  was  beginning  to 
degenerate  from  the  purity,  beauty,  and  origi- 
nality of  its  first  outburst,  toward  the  insipid 
classicism  of  Louis  XIII.  and  Louis  XIV.  It 
was  for  this  building  that  Rubens  executed 
his  great  series  of  pictures  from  the  life  of 
Marie,  now  in  the  Louvre ; while  Lesueur 
painted  his  St.  Bruno  legends  for  a Carthusian 
monastery  within  the  grounds.  The  gardens 
which  surrounded  it  are  interesting  in  their 
way,  as  being  the  only  specimen  now  remain- 
ing in  Paris  of  Renaissance  methods  of  laying 
out ; most  of  the  other  palaces  have  gardens 
designed  by  Le  Notre  in  the  formal  style  of 
Louis  XIV.  The  palace  is  now  occupied  by 
the  Senate ; it  is  practically  difficult  of  access, 
and  the  interior  contains  so  little  of  interest 
that  it  may  well  be  omitted  save  by  those  who 


414  Paris. 

can  spend  much  time  in  being  ushered  round 
almost  empty  rooms  by  perfunctory  officials. 
But  the  exterior,  the  gardens,  and  the  Medici 
fountain  should  be  visited  by  all  those  who  wish 
to  form  a consistent  idea  of  Renaissance  Paris. 

In  the  same  excursion  may  be  easily  com- 
bined a visit  to  St.  Sulpice,  a church  which 
occupies  the  site  of  an  old  foundation,  but 
which  was  entirely  rebuilt  from  the  ground  in 
the  age  of  Louis  XIV.,  and  which  is  mainly 
interesting  as  the  best  example  of  the  cold, 
lifeless,  and  grandiose  taste  of  that  pompous 
period. 

The  Faubourg  St.  Germain  and  the  quarter 
about  it,  as  a whole,  are  still  the  region  of  the 
old  noble  families.  The  western  end  of  this 
faubourg,  especially  about  the  Quai  d’Orsay,  is 
given  over  to  embassies  and  political  machin- 
ery, particularly  that  connected  with  foreign 
affairs.  The  South  Bank  is  also  the  district 
of  the  Legislature,  in  both  its  branches.  The 
Quartier  Latin,  however,  has  largely  over- 
flowed of  recent  years  into  the  Luxembourg 
district  and  that  immediately  behind  it,  which 
are  now  to  a great  extent  occupied  by  the 
students,  artists,  and  other  Bohemian  classes. 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  415 

Cross  the  river,  if  possible,  by  the  Pont  de  la 
Concorde.  The  classical  building  which  fronts 
you  proclaims  itself  legibly  on  its  very  face  as 
the  Chambre  des  Deputes.  But  it  has  borne  in 
its  time  many  other  names.  This  fagade  to- 
ward the  river  is  of  the  age  of  the  First  Empire  ; 
the  main  edifice,  however,  is  much  older,  being 
the  Palais  Bourbon,  built  in  1722  for  the  Du- 
chesse  de  Bourbon.  In  1790  it  was  confiscated, 
and  has  ever  since  been  the  seat  of  one  or 
other  legislative  body,  according  to  the  govern- 
ment of  the  moment. 

You  can  go  round  to  the  back,  as  you  pass, 
to  inspect  the  original  facade,  in  the  style  of 
Louis  XIV.,  facing  the  little  Place  du  Palais 
Bourbon.  The  interior  is  uninteresting,  but 
has  a few  good  pictures,  which  should  only  be 
visited  by  those  whose  time  is  unlimited. 

The  river  front  is  on  the  Quai  d’Orsay,  the 
centre  of  modern  political  and  diplomatic  Paris. 
The  building  to  the  right  of  the  Chamber  is 
the  official  residence  of  its  president ; still 
farther  to  the  right,  the  Ministere  des  Affaires 
Etrangeres.  The  broad  thoroughfare  which 
opens  obliquely  southeastward  to  the  left  of  the 
Chamber  is  the  Boulevard  St.  Germain,  which 


we  have  crossed  before  in  other  parts  of  its 
semicircle.  It  was  Haussmannised  in  a wide 
curve  through  the  quiet  streets  of  the  fau- 
bourg, and  the  purlieus  of  the  Quartier  Latin, 
with  ruthless  regularity.  Many  of  the  tran- 
quil, aristocratic  roads  characteristic  of  the 
region  lie  to  the  right  and  left  of  it ; their 
type  should  be  casually  noted  as  you  pass 
them.  Down  the  Rue  de  Lille  stands  the 
German  Embassy ; on  the  boulevard  itself,  on 
the  right,  the  Ministere  de  la  Guerre,  and  farther 
on,  to  the  left,  the  Travaux  Publics.  Other 
ministries  and  embassies  cluster  thickly  be- 
hind, about  the  diplomatic  Rue  de  Grenelle 
and  its  neighbours.  To  the  right  again,  the 
Boulevard  Raspail,  another  very  modern  street, 
not  yet  quite  complete,  runs  southward  through 
the  heart  of  the  Luxembourg  . district.  Con- 
tinue straight  along  the  Boulevard  St.  Germain, 
till  you  reach  the  place  of  the  same  name, 
with  the  church  of  St.  Germain-des-Pres  full 
in  front  of  you.  It  may  also  be  reached  di- 
rectly by  the  Rue  Bonaparte ; but  this  other 
is  a more  characteristic  and  instructive  ap- 
proach to  the  Abbey  Church  which  forms  the 
centre  of  the  quarter.  Observe  how  the  new 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  417 

boulevard  skirts  its  side,  giving  a clever  effect 
of  its  having  always  been  there ; the  front  of 
the  church  is  round  the  corner  in  the  Rue 
Bonaparte. 

The  exterior,  with  the  houses  still  built 
against  it  in  places,  though  picturesque,  has 
little  minute  architectural  detail.  The  massive 
tower  has  been  so  much  renewed  as  to  be  prac- 
tically modern ; but  the  Romanesque  arches 
near  the  top  give  it  distinction  and  beauty. 
The  mean  and  unworthy  porch  is  of  the  sev- 
enteenth century ; the  inner  portal,  however 
(though  its  arch  has  been  Gothicised),  belongs 
to  the  Romanesque  church  and  is  not  without 
interest.  Observe  the  character  of  the  pilasters 
and  capitals,  with  grotesque  animals.  Statues 
of  St.  Germain,  of  Childebert  and  Ultrogothe 
(as  at  the  other  St.  Germain),  and  of  Clovis,  etc., 
which  once  flanked  the  door,  were  destroyed  at 
the  Revolution.  In  the  tympanum  are  the 
unusual  subjects  of  the  Eternal  Father,  bless- 
ing, and  beneath  him  a Romanesque  relief  of 
the  Last  Supper  (not,  as  commonly,  the  Last 
Judgment). 

The  interior  still  preserves  in  most  part  its 
Romanesque  arches  and  architecture ; but  the 


4i8 


Paris. 


lower  part  of  the  nave  is  the  oldest  portion 
(early  twelfth  century)  ; the  choir  is  about  a 
century  later.  Most  of  the  pillars  have  had 
their  capitals  so  modernised  and  gilt  as  to  be 
of  relatively  little  interest,  while  the  decora- 
tions, though  good  and  effective,  are  in  many 
cases  of  such  a sort  as  effectually  to  conceal 
the  real  antiquity  of  the  building.  The  church 
was  used  during  the  great  Revolution  as  a salt- 
petre factory,  and  was  restored  and  redecorated 
in  polychrome  a little  too  freely  under  the  Sec- 
ond Empire.  A few  capitals,  however,  notably 
those  of  the  baptistery,  to  the  left  as  you  enter, 
retain  their  antique  carving  and  are  worthy  of 
notice ; while  even  the  modern  gilt  figures  on 
those  of  the  aisle  are  Romanesque  in  character 
and  quaint  in  conception.  (You  can  examine 
some  of  the  old  ones  which  they  replace  in  the 
garden  at  Cluny.) 

Walk  round  the  church.  The  architecture  of 
the  ambulatory  and  choir,  though  later,  is  in  a 
much  more  satisfactory  condition  than  that  of 
the  main  body.  The  arches  of  the  first  story 
are  mostly  round,  but  pointed  in  the  apse ; 
those  of  the  clerestory  are  entirely  Gothic. 
The  detail  below  is  good  Romanesque  ; study 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain,  419 

it.  Observe  the  handsome  triforium,  between 
the  two  stories ; and  more  especially  the  inter- 
esting capitals  of  the  columns,  — relics  of  the 
original  church  of  Childebert,  built  into  the 
later  fabric.  The  choir,  on  the  whole,  is  a fine 
specimen  of  late  twelfth  century  work.  The 
Lady-Chapel,  behind,  is  a modern  addition. 

After  having  thus  walked  round  the  aisles 
and  the  back  of  the  choir  to  observe  the  archi- 
tecture, return  once  more  to  the  doorway  by 
which  you  entered  and  proceed  up  the  nave,  in 
order  to  notice  the  admirable  modern  frescoes 
by  Flandrin  (Second  Empire).  These  are 
disposed  in  pairs,  each  containing  subjects,  sup- 
posed to  be  parallel,  from  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments.  Note  in  these  the  constant  sur- 
vival of  early  traditions,  revivified  by  Flandrin 
in  accordance  with  the  art  of  his  own  period. 
The  subjects  are  as  follows  : 

Begin  on  the  left,  (i)  The  Annunciation, 
treated  somewhat  in  the  traditional  manner, 
the  relative  positions  of  the  Madonna  and  the 
Angel  Gabriel  being  preserved,  typified  by  the 
Almighty  appearing  to  Moses  in  the  Burning 
Bush,  as  his  first  Annunciation.  (2)  The  Na- 
tivity, as  the  pledge  of  redemption  ; typified  or 


420 


Paris. 


rendered  necessary  by  the  Fall.  (The  New 
Testament  scenes  are  of  course  the  usual 
series ; those  from  the  Old  Testament  fore- 
shadow them,  for  which  reason  they  are 
placed  in  the  opposite  from  the  chronologi- 
cal order.)  (3)  The  adoration  of  the  Magi 
(reminiscences  of  the  conventional,  entirely 
altered  by  Oriental  costumes  and  attitudes  of 
submission)  ; typified  by  Balaam  blessing  Israel, 
— a famous  picture.  (4)  The  Baptism  in  Jor- 
dan (positions  conventional,  with  the  three 
angels  to  the  left  as  always) ; typified  by  the 
Passage  of  the  Red  Sea.  (5)  The  Institution 
of  the  Eucharist,  very  original  in  treatment ; 
typified  by  Melchisedec  bringing  forth  bread 
and  wine  to  Abraham.  Now  return  by  the 
right  side,  beginning  at  the  transept : (6) 

The  Betrayal  of  Christ  by  Judas;  typified  by 
the  Sale  of  Joseph.  (7)  The  Crucifixion, — a 
very  noble  picture ; typified  by  the  Offering  of 
Isaac,  full  of  pathos.  (8)  The  Resurrection ; 
typified  by  Jonah  restored  from  the  sea,  the 
whale  being  with  great  tact  omitted.  (9)  The 
Keys  given  to  Peter ; typified  by  the  Disper- 
sion of  the  Nations  at  Babel.  (A  little  thought 
is  sometimes  required  to  connect  these  subjects. 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  421 

which  are  occasionally,  as  in  the  last  pair,  rather 
to  be  regarded  as  opposites  than  types  — the 
one  remedying  the  other.  Thus,  the  counter- 
part to  the  Dispersal  at  Babel  is  Christ’s  com- 
mand to  preach  the  Gospel  to  all  nations.) 

Above  this  fine  frieze  of  subjeet-pictures  runs 
a course  of  single  figures,  grouped  in  pairs,  on 
either  side  of  the  windows  in  the  clerestory. 
They  are  Old  Testament  characters,  from  Adam 
and  Eve  onward,  ending  with  John  the  Baptist, 
as  the  last  of  the  prophets.  But  as  all  the 
characters  have  their  names  legibly  inseribed 
beside  them,  I need  not  enumerate  them  ; all, 
however,  should  be  observed,  especially  Adam 
and  Eve,  Miriam,  Deborah,  and  Judith.  Hold 
your  hat  or  a book  to  cover  the  light  from  the 
windows,  if  the  glare  is  too  great,  and  after  a 
little  while  you  will  see  them  distinetly. 

Now  proceed  again  to  the  front  of  the  choir. 
On  either  side  are  other  mural  paintings,  also 
by  Flandrin:  (i)  On  the  left.  The  Entry  of 
Christ  into  Jerusalem,  very  beautiful ; on  the 
right.  The  Bearing  of  the  Cross.  Round  the 
choir,  the  Twelve  Apostles ; by  the  pointed 
arches  of  the  apse,  the  symbols  of  the  Evan- 
gelists, — the  angel,  lion,  bull,  and  eagle.  Above 


422 


Paris. 


all  — an  interesting  link  with  the  earlier  history 
of  the  church — are  the  pious  founders,  Childe- 
bert  and  Ultrogothe ; the  original  patron,  St. 
Vincent,  with  his  successor,  St.  Germain ; and 
finally.  Abbot  Morard,  who  rebuilt  the  church, 
substantially  in  its  present  form,  after  the  Nor- 
man invasion.  He  is  thus  commemorated  in 
the  beautiful  choir  which  represents  the  work 
of  his  successor.  Abbot  Hugues,  in  the  next 
century. 

Before  leaving,  observe,  architecturally  speak- 
ing, how  a Romanesque  church  of  this  type 
leads  up  to  the  more  complex  arrangement, 
with  chevet  and  chapels,  in  Notre-Dame  and 
later  Gothic  churches.  Note  the  simplicity  and 
dignity  of  the  choir.  Note  also  the  peculiar 
character  of  the  vaulting,  comparing  it  with  the 
later  type  at  Notre-Dame,  and  especially  with 
the  reversion  to  much  the  same  form  in  Renais- 
sance times  at  St.  fitienne-du-Mont,  and  St. 
Eustache.  In  spite  of  its  newness,  much  of 
the  modern  decorative  work  is  extremely  effect- 
ive ; indeed,  as  a specimen  of  almost  complete 
internal  decoration,  this  church,  notwithstand- 
ing the  cruel  overlaying  of  its  early  Romanesque 
sculpture  by  gold  and  paint,  is  perhaps  the  most 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  423 

satisfactory  of  any  in  Paris,  except  the  Sainte 
Chapelle.  I strongly  advise  you  to  sit  down  for 
some  time  and  inspect  the  capitals  built  into 
the  aisle,  and  the  beautiful  Merovingian  pillars 
of  the  triforium,  with  an  opera-glass,  at  your 
leisure. 

On  quitting  the  church,  walk  round  it  for 
the  view  on  every  side,  which  is  picturesque 
and  characteristic.  Behind  it,  in  the  Rue  de 
TAbbaye,  stands  an  interesting  portion  of  the 
sixteenth  century  Abbot’s  Palace,  — the  only 
remaining  relic  of  the  vast  conventual  buildings, 
once  enclosed  for  defence  by  a wall  and  moat, 
and  containing  a large  lay  and  clerical  popula- 
tion, like  a little  city.  The  sumptuous  carved 
and  gilded  figure  of  Childebert,  the  founder,  in 
the  Mediaeval  Sculpture  Room  at  the  Louvre, 
came  from  the  doorway  of  the  old  refectory,  — 
a magnificent  work  by  Pierre  de  Montereau  (the 
architect  of  the  Sainte  Chapelle),  — now  wholly 
demolished.  After  you  have  visited  each  church 
you  will  often  find  it  pleasant  to  look  out  for 
such  isolated  works,  divorced  at  present  from 
their  surroundings,  and  placed  at  Cluny  or  else- 
where. They  will  always  gain  new  meaning  for 
you  by  being  thus  identified  as  belonging  to 


424 


Paris. 


such  and  such  an  original  building.  For  in- 
stance, in  the  Christian  Antiquities  Room  at 
the  Louvre,  you  will  find  an  interesting  capital 
of  a pillar  belonging  to  the  Merovingian  church 
of  St.  Vincent. 

Now  return  to  the  Boulevard  St.  Germain, 
which  a little  farther  on  occupies  the  site  of 
the  old  Abbey  Prison,  famous  as  the  scene 
of  the  massacres  in  September,  1792.  Take 
the  Rue  Bonaparte  on  the  opposite  side,  and 
go  straight  on  till  you  reach  the  Place  St.  Sul- 
pice,  with  its  huge  church  in  front  of  you.  The 
building  replaces  an  earlier  one  to  the  same 
saint : under  Louis  XIV.,  when  the  Faubourg 
St.  Germain  was  becoming  the  quarter  of  the 
nobles,  it  was  rebuilt  in  a style  of  ugly  magnifi- 
cence, befitting  the  maker  of  Versailles  and 
Marly. 

St.  Sulpice,  a vast  bare  barn,  is  chiefly  inter- 
esting, indeed,  as  a gigantic  specimen  of  the 
coldly  classical  type  of  church  built  under 
Louis  XIV.,  when  Gothic  was  despised,  and 
even  the  Renaissance  richness  of  St.  Eustache 
and  St.  Etienne  was  decried  as  barbaric.  It  is 
a painful  monument  of  declining  taste.  The 
exterior  is  chilly.  The  facade,  whose  sole  recom- 


CHURCH  OF  ST.  SULPICE, 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  425 

mendation  nowadays  is  its  size  and  its  massive- 
ness, is  a triumph  of  its  kind  ; it  consists  of  two 
stories,  with  arcades  of  Doric  and  Ionic  pillars 
superimposed  on  one  another,  and  crowned  with 
a pair  of  octagonal  towers,  only  one  of  which  is 
completed.  The  scanty  detail  of  the  sculpture 
is  of  the  familiar  character  of  the  decadent 
period.  But  Fergusson  praises  the  general 
effect  of  the  exterior. 

The  interior  consists  of  a cruciform  pseudo- 
classical  nave,  with  aisles,  two  bare  single  tran- 
septs, and  a choir  ending  in  a circular  apse,  — 
all  vast,  gloomy,  barren,  and  unimpressive.  The 
pillars  and  pilasters  have  Corinthian  capitals, 
and  most  of  the  sculpture  betrays  the  evil  influ- 
ence of  Bernini.  The  holy  water  stoups,  by  the 
second  pillars,  however,  are  more  satisfactory  : 
they  consist  of  huge  shells,  presented  by  the 
Republic  of  Venice  to  Francois  1%  standing  on 
bases  by  Pigalle,  — an  effective  piece  of  decora- 
tive work  in  this  unpleasing  edifice.  As  a 
whole,  this  chilly  interior  stands  in  marked 
contrast  to  the  polychromatic  richness  of  St. 
Germain-des-Pr6s,  and  to  the  exquisite  Gothic 
detail  of  Notre-Dame  and  St.  Germain-PAuxer- 
roia  The  roof  and  false  cupola  contrast  very 


Paris. 


426 

much  to  their  disadvantage  with  the  charming 
Renaissance  vaulting  of  St.  Etienne-du-Mont 
and  St.  Eustache.  Accept  this  visit  as  pen- 
ance done  to  the  age  of  Louis  XIV.  Save  his- 
torically, indeed,  this  barren  church  is  almost 
devoid  of  interest.  Like  everything  of  its  age, 
it  aims  at  grandeur  : it  only  succeeds  in  being 
gaunt  and  grandiose.  The  very  size  is  thrown 
away  for  want  of  effective  vistas  and  groups  of 
pillars ; it  looks  smaller  than  it  is,  and  sadly 
lacks  furnishing. 

Several  of  the  chapels  around  this  disappoint- 
ing church,  however,  contain  many  good  modern 
pictures : most  of  them  also  bear  the  names  of 
the  saints  to  whom  they  are  dedicated,  which 
largely  aids  the  recognition  of  the  symbolism. 
I enumerate  a few  of  them  for  their  interest  in 
this  matter.  Right  aisle,  (i)  St.  Agnes.  Jacob 
and  the  angel ; Heliodorus  expelled  from  the 
Temple ; by  Delacroix.  (2)  Chapel  of  souls  in 
Purgatory.  Religion  brings  comfort  to  the 
dying ; benefit  of  prayers  for  the  dead ; by 
Heim.  (3)  Chapel  of  St.  Roch,  the  plague- 
saint.  He  prays  for  the  plague  stricken ; he 
dies  in  prison  at  Montpelier ; by  Abel  de  Pujol. 
(4)  St.  Maurice,  the  soldier  saint.  His  legend ; 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  427 

by  Vinchon.  Left  aisle.  The  chapels  here  are 
chiefly  dedicated  to  the  newer  humanitarian 
saints  of  Catholicism,  (i)  St.  Francois  Xavier. 
He  resuscitates  a dead  man  ; miraculous  cures 
at  his  burial ; by  Lafon:  (2)  St.  Frangois  de 
Sales.  He  preaches  in  Savoy  ; he  gives  to  Ste. 
J.  F.  Chantal  the  constitution  of  his  order  of 
nuns ; by  Hesse.  (3)  St.  Paul.  His  conver- 
sion ; he  preaches  at  Athens  ; by  Drolling.  (4) 
St.  Vincent  de  Paul.  He  founds  the  hospital 
for  foundlings,  with  the  Sisters  of  Charity ; he 
attends  the  death-bed  of  Louis  XIII. ; by  Guille- 
mot. Chapels  of  the  choir:  on  the  left,  (i)  St. 
John  the  Evangelist.  His  rhartyrdom  ; and  his 
assumption.  (2)  San  Carlo  Borromeo.  He 
ministers  during  the  plague  at  Milan  ; he  gives 
the  sacrament  to  his  uncle,  Pius  IV.,  on  his 
death-bed.  (3)  Uninteresting.  (4)  St.  Louis 
the  King.  He  carries  a dying  man  during  the 
plague ; he  administers  justice  under  the  oak  of 
Vincennes.  Lady-chapel,  a miracle  of  ugliness. 
Statue  of  the  Virgin  on  clouds  in  a recess,  by 
Pajon,  lighted  from  above,  and  in  execrable 
taste,  — the  worst  feature  in  this  insipid  and 
often  vulgar  building.  Bad  statues  and  fres- 
coes. The  other  choir  chapels  on  the  right 


428 


Paris. 


side  are  dedicated  to  the  older  patron  saints  of 
Paris,  (i)  St.  Denis.  His  preaching;  his  con- 
demnation. (2)  St.  Martin.  He  divides  his 
cloak  with  the  beggar ; he  resuscitates  a dead 
man.  (3)  Ste.  Genevieve.  She  brings  food  from 
Troyes  during  the  siege  of  Paris ; miracles 
wrought  by  her  relics.  (4)  Our  Lady.  Her 
birth ; her  presentation  in  the  temple : inter- 
esting as  modern  examples  of  the  treatment  of 
these  traditional  subjects.  Over  the  door,  north 
or  left  side,  her  death ; south,  or  right  side,  her 
assumption. 

St.  Sulpice  has  a reputation  for  good  music. 

The  Fontaine  St.  Sulpice,  in  front  of  the 
church,  is  from  Visconti's  designs,  and  has 
appropriate  statues  of  the  four  great  French 
preachers,  — Bossuet,  Fenelon,  Massillon,  and 
Flechier.  The  pulpit  here  is  still  famous  for 
its  oratory. 

From  St.  Sulpice,  the  Rue  Ferou,  to  the 
right  of  the  fagade,  leads  you  straight  to 
the  Luxembourg  Palace.  The  long  low  build- 
ing almost  directly  opposite  you  as  you  emerge 
is  the  Musee  du  Luxembourg,  containing  the 
works  of  modern  French  painters.  This,  of 
course,  is  one  of  the  most  important  objects  to 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  429 

be  visited  in  Paris  ; but  I do  not  give  any 
detailed  account  of  it  here,  because  the  pictures 
themselves  are  entirely  modern,  and  chiefly  by 
living  painters  and  sculptors,  the  various  ex- 
amples being  sent  to  the  Louvre,  or  to  provin- 
cial museums,  within  ten  years  of  the  death  of 
the  artist.  A visit  to  this  museum  is  therefore 
indispensable  to  those  who  desire  to  form  a just 
acquaintance  with  contemporary  art.  But  noth- 
ing in  the  gallery  demands  historical  elucida- 
tion. The  visitor  should  provide  himself  with 
the  official  catalogue,  which  will  amply  suffice 
for  his  needs  in 'this  gallery.  I need  hardly 
say  that  a proper  inspection  of  it  cannot  be 
combined  in  one  day  with  the  other  objects 
mentioned  in  this  excursion.  Devote  to  it  at 
least  one  or  two  separate  mornings. 

Turning  to  the  left  as  we  leave  the  end  of 
the  Rue  Ferou,  the  first  building  on  our  right 
is  the  official  residence  of  the  President  of  the 
Senate  ; the  second  is  Marie  de  Medicis's  Palace 
of  the  Luxembourg,  now  employed  as  the  seat 
of  the  Senate.  Walk  along  its  fagade,  the 
work  of  Jacques  Debrosse,  one  of  the  ablest  ar- 
chitects of  the  later  classicising  Renaissance,  in 
order  to  observe  the  modified  style  of  the  age 


0 


43  Paris. 

of  Henri  IV.  and  Louis  XIIL,  which  it  still  on 
the  whole  preserves,  in  spite  of  modern  additions 
and  alterations.  Note  the  gradual  falling  off 
from  the  exquisitely  fanciful  period  of  the  earlier 
French  Renaissance,  which  produced  the  best 
parts  of  the  Louvre  and  St.  Eustache,  and 
the  way  this  building  lets  us  down  gently  to 
the  bald  classicism  of  Louis  XIV.  and  Perrault. 
If  you  know  Florence,  observe  also  the  distinct 
reminiscences  of  the  Pitti  Palace.  Continue 
your  walk  along  the  whole  of  the  facade,  as  far 
as  the  corner  by  the  Odeon  Theatre, — the  sub- 
ventioned  theatre  of  the  students  and  the  Quar- 
tier  Latin.  Then,  turn  into  the  garden,  and 
note  the  rest  of  the  building,  whose  facade  to- 
ward this  side,  though  restored  under  Louis 
Philippe,  more  nearly  represents  Debrosse’s 
architecture  than  does  that  toward  the  main 
thoroughfare.  You  need  not  trouble  about  the 
interior,  though  it  contains  a few  good  modern 
paintings. 

The  gardefi,  however,  is  well  worth  a visit  on 
its  own  account,  both  for  the  sake  of  the  typical 
manner  in  which  it  is  laid  out,  and  especially 
for  the  handsome  Fontaine  de  Medicis  by  De- 
brosse,  on  the  side  next  the  Pantheon.  The 


LUXEMBOURG.  — FONTAINE  DE  MEDICIS. 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  431 

group  of  sculpture  in  the  middle  represents 
Polyphemus  surprising  Acis  and  Galatea.  Go 
round  to  the  back,  to  see  the  modern  Fountain 
of  Leda, — that  favourite  subject  of  Renais- 
sance sculpture.  The  best  way  back  from  this 
excursion  is  by  the  Rue  de  Seine,  which  leads 
you  past  the  Marchd  St.  Germain. 

Another  building  in  this  district,  to  which,  if 
possible,  the  reader  should  pay  at  least  one 
visit,  is  the  Eeole  des  Beaux-Arts  in  the  Rue 
Bonaparte.  This  collection  is  interesting,  both 
because  it  contains  a number  of  valuable  frag- 
ments of  Freneh  Renaissance  work,  especially 
architectural,  and  also  because  of  its  museum 
of  copies,  including  transcripts  (mostly  very 
good)  of  the  best  pictures  of  various  ages,  many 
of  which  are  useful  to  the  student  of  art  history 
for  eomparison  with  originals  in  the  Louvre  and 
elsewhere.  Everybody  who  has  not  been  to 
Rome,  Venice,  and  Florenee  should  eertainly 
try  to  visit  this  museum  ; and  even  those  who 
have  made  first-hand  aequaintanee  with  the 
masterpieces  of  Italian  art  in  their  native 
homes  will  find  that  it  sometimes  affords  them 
opportunities  for  eomparison  of  works  widely 
scattered  in  the  originals,  which  can  be  better 


432 


Paris. 


understood  here  in  certain  of  their  aspects  than 
in  isolation.  The  building  is  open  to  the  public, 
free,  from  twelve  to  four  on  Sundays  ; on  week- 
days, non-students  are  also  admitted  from  ten 
to  four  (except  Mondays),  on  application  to  the 
concierge.  I strongly  advise  a Sunday  visit, 
however,  as  you  are  then  less  hurried,  and  also 
as  the  door  on  the  Quai  Malaquais  is  open  on 
that  day.  This  building  should,  if  possible,  be 
made  the  object  of  a separate  excursion.  It 
takes  a long  time  to  inspect  it  thoroughly. 

Pass  through  the  Tuileries  Gardens,  or 
across  the  Place  du  Carrousel,  and  traverse 
the  river  by  the  Pont  Royal  or  the  Pont  du 
Carrousel.  The  second  turn  to  the  right  after 
the  last-named  bridge,  the  Rue  Bonaparte,  will 
take  you  straight  to  the  door  of  the  Ecole. 
The  building  occupies  the  site  of  the  old  Cou- 
vent  des  Petits-Augustins  ; the  convent  chapel 
and  a few  other  remains  of  the  original 
works  are  embedded  in  it.  Enter  the  court- 
yard. Here,  during  the  great  Revolution,  the 
painter  Alexandre  Lenoir  founded  his  Musee 
des  Monuments  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
tombs  removed  from  St.  Denis  and  other 
churches.  To  his  indefatigable  exertions  almost 


TUILERIES  GARDENS. 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  433 

alone  we  owe  the  preservation  of  these  price- 
less mediaeval  and  Renaissance  relics.  Under 
the  Restoration,  most  of  the  monuments  were 
replaced  in  their  original  positions,  and  we 
shall  visit  several  of  them  later  at  St.  Denis. 
To  the  right  of  the  entrance  in  this  first 
court  is  the  beautiful  doorway  of  the  Chateau 
d’Anet,  — that  gem  of  early  French  Renaissance 
architecture,  which  was  erected  for  Diane  de 
Poitiers  by  Philibert  Delorme  and  Jean  Goujon, 
by  order  of  Henri  II.,  in  1548:  many  objects 
from  the  same  building  we  have  already  seen 
elsewhere.  The  portal  is  now  placed  as  the 
entrance  to  the  old  Abbey  Chapel.  The  end 
of  this  court  is  formed  by  part  of  the  facade 
from  the  Chateau  de  Gaillon,  erected  for  the 
Cardinal  d’Amboise,  Minister  of  Louis  XII., 
and  one  of  the  favourite  residences  of  Francois 
F"'.  It  presents  mixed  Renaissance  and  Gothic 
features,  as  did  the  sculpture  of  Michel  Colombe 
from  the  same  building,  which  we  saw  at  the 
Louvre.  Both  these  imposing  works  — the  por- 
tal of  Chateau  d’ Anet  and  this  facade  — should 
be  compared  with  the  Italian  Renaissance  door- 
way from  Cremona  and  the  Gothic  one  from 
Valencia,  which  we  saw  in  the  collection  of 


434 


Paris. 


sculpture  at  the  Louvre.  They  are  indispen- 
sable to  a full  comprehension  of  the  French 
Renaissance.  The  Chateau  de  Gaillon  was  des- 
troyed during  the  Revolution,  and  many  of  its 
finest  monuments  are  now  at  the  Louvre.  If 
you  have  time,  after  seeing  this  museum,  go 
back  and  compare  them. 

The  second  court,  beyond  the  facade,  con- 
tains several  fragments  of  buildings  and  sculp- 
ture, among  which  notice  the  capitals  from  the 
old  church  of  Ste.  Genevieve  (Romanesque), 
and  a fine  stone  basin  of  the  twelfth  century, 
brought  from  St.  Denis. 

Now,  return  to  the  first  court,  and  visit 
the  former  chapel.  It  contains  plaster  casts, 
adequately  described  for  casual  visitors  by  the 
labels,  as  well  as  copies  of  paintings.  These 
plaster  casts,  especially  those  of  the  pulpit  from 
Pisa,  by  Nicolo  Pisano,  the  first  mediaeval 
sculptor  who  tried  to  imitate  the  antique,  will 
enable  you  to  piece  out  your  conception  of 
Italian  Renaissance  sculpture,  as  formed  at  the 
Louvre.  Do  not  despise  these  casts  : they  are 
excellent  for  comparison.  Among  the  pictures, 
notice  the  copy  of  Mantegna's  fresco  of  St. 
James  conducted  to  Martyrdom,  from  the 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  435 

church  of  the  Eremitani  at  Padua.  The  fresco 
itself  is  a work  of  Mantegna’s  first  period,  and 
I select  this  copy  for  notice  because  it  will  help 
you  to  fill  in  the  idea  you  formed  of  that  great 
painter  from  consideration  of  his  originals  at 
the  Louvre.  Notice,  for  example,  the  strenu- 
ous efforts  at  perspective  and  foreshortening ; 
the  introduction  of  decorated  Renaissance  arch- 
itecture ; the  love  of  reliefs  and  ornament ; the 
classical  armour ; and  many  other  features 
which  display  the  native  bent  of  Mantegna, 
but  not  as  yet  in  the  maturity  of  his  powers. 
Observe,  again,  the  copy  of  Ghirlandajo’s  ex- 
quisite Adoration  of  the  Magi,  with  its  numer- 
ous portraits,  disguised  as  the  three  kings, 
the  shepherds,  and  the  spectators,  to  which  I 
have  already  called  attention  when  speaking  of 
Luini’s  treatment  of  this  subject  in  the  Louvre. 
I do  not  enlarge  upon  these  mere  copies,  as 
the  originals  will  occupy  you  at  Florence  or 
Munich  ; but  the  student  who  has  become  in- 
terested in  the  evolution  of  art  will  find  it  a 
most  valuable  study  to  trace  the  connection, 
first,  between  these  subjects  and  others  like 
them  in  the  Louvre,  and,  second,  between 
these  copies  of  works  by  various  masters  and 


Paris. 


436 

the  originals  by  the  same  artists  preserved 
in  that  collection.  Compare,  and  compare,  and 
compare  again  ceaselessly. 

The  inner  court,  the  Cour  du  Murier,  leads 
to  another  hall,  the  Salle  de  Melpomene,  en- 
tered on  Sundays  direct  from  the  Quai  Mala- 
quais.  This  room  also  contains  a large  number 
of  copies  which  are  valuable  for  study  to  those 
who  have  not  seen  the  originals,  and  which 
will  often  recall  forgotten  facts  in  new  con- 
nections to  those  who  have  seen  them.  I would 
call  special  attention,  from  the  point  of  view 
of  this  book,  to  the  good  copies  of  Raphaehs 
and  Perugino’s  Marriage  of  the  Virgin ; as 
the  originals  are  respectively  at  Milan  and 
Caen  (two  places  sufficiently  remote  -from  one 
another),  the  composition  of  the  two  can  be 
better  compared  here  than  under  any  other 
circumstances.  As  examples  of  development, 
I shall  notice  them  briefly.  Perugino’s  is,  of 
course,  the  older  work.  It  was  painted  for  a 
chapel  in  the  cathedral  at  Perugia,  where  it 
still  hung  when  Raphael  painted  his  imitation 
of  it.  First  look  carefully  at  both  works,  and 
then  read  these  remarks  upon  them.  The 
Sposalizio  or  Marriage  of  the  Virgin,  one  of 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  437 

the  set  subjects  in  the  old  series  of  the  Life  of 
Mary,  and  often  used  as  an  altar-piece,  consists 
traditionally  of  the  following  features.  In  the 
centre  stands  the  high  priest,  wearing  his 
robes  and  ephod  — or  what  the  particular  painter 
takes  for  such  ; he  joins  the  hands  of  Joseph 
and  the  Madonna.  Joseph  stands  always  on 
the  left  side  of  the  picture,  which  Perugino 
has  rightly  assigned  to  him  ; though  Raphael, 
already  revolutionary,  has  reversed  this  order. 
He  holds  in  his  hand  a staff,  which  has  budded 
into  lily  flowers,  — the  tradition  (embodied  in 
the  Protevangelion)  being  that  the  high  priest 
caused  the  various  suitors  for  Mary’s  hand  to 
place  their  staffs  in  the  Holy  of  Holies,  as  had 
long  before  been  done  in  the  case  of  Aaron, 
intending  that  he  whose  staff  budded  should 
beeome  the  husband  of  the  Holy  Virgin. 
Joseph’s  put  forth  leaves  and  flowers ; and  so 
this  staff,  either  flowering  or  otherwise,  is  the 
usual  symbol  by  which  you  can  recognise  him 
in  sacred  art.  Behind  Joseph  stand  the  other 
disappointed  suitors,  one  or  more  of  whom 
always  breaks  his  staff  in  indignation.  Be- 
hind Mary  stand  the  attendant  maidens  — the 
Virgins  of  the  Lord  — together  with  Our 


Paris. 


438 

Lady’s  mother,  St.  Anne,  recognisable  by 
her  peculiar  head-dress  and  wimple.  (Com- 
pare Lionardo  in  the  Salon  Carre.)  A temple 
always  occupies  the  background.  Perugino 
took  the  main  elements  of  this  scene  from 
earlier  painters.  You  will  find  numerous  ex- 
amples in  the  churches  and  galleries  at 
Florence  and  elsewhere,  but  he  transformed 
it  in  accordance  with  his  peculiar  genius  and 
his  views  of  art,  substituting  a round  or  octag- 
onal temple  of  Renaissance  architecture  for 
the  square  Gothic  building  of  earlier  painters. 
Such  round  buildings  were  the  conventional 
representation  of  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem 
among  Renaissance  artists.  The  peculiar  head- 
dress and  the  balanced  position  are  also  char- 
acteristic of  Perugino.  How  closely  Raphael 
followed  his  master  on  these  points  of  com- 
position you  can  see  for  yourself  by  comparing 
the  two  copies.  But  you  can  also  see  how 
thoroughly  he  transformed  Perugino’s  spirit ; 
retaining  the  form  while  altering  the  whole 
sentiment  and  feeling  of  the  figures.  You  see 
in  it  Perugino’s  conception,  but  Raphael’s  treat- 
ment. I have  called  special  attention  to  these 
tvvo  pictures  because  they  admirably  illustrate 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  439 

the  value  and  importance  of  comparison  in  art. 
You  cannot  wholly  understand  the  Raphael 
without  having  seen  the  Perugino ; nor  can 
you  wholly  understand  the  Perugino  without 
having  seen  the  Ghirlandajos  and  Fra  Angeli- 
cos, and  Taddeo  Gaddis  which  preceded  it.  Qo 
from  one  to  the  other  of  these  two  pictures, 
and  note  the  close  resemblance  even  in  the 
marble  pavement,  the  grouping  of  each  com- 
ponent cluster,  and  the  accessories  in  the  back- 
ground. Nay,  the  more  graceful  attitude  of 
the  suitor  who  breaks  his  staff  in  the  Raphael 
is  borrowed  from  a minor  figure  in  the  back- 
ground of  the  Perugino.  It  is  only  by  thus 
comparing  work  with  work  that  we  can  arrive 
at  a full  comprehension  of  early  painting,  and 
especially  of  the  relations  between  painter  and 
painter. 

I will  not  call  special  attention  to  the  various 
other  copies  in  this  museum.  I will  merely 
point  out,  as  casting  light  on  subjects  we  have 
already  considered,  Verocchio's  Baptism  of 
Christ,  Perugino’s  group  from  the  same  subject, 
Raphael’s  Entombment,  Botticelli’s  Adoration 
of  the  Magi,  and  Madonnas  by  Filippo  Lippi, 
Giovanni  Bellini,  Correggio,  and  Mantegna. 


440 


Paris. 


Many  of  these  can  be  compared  here  ctnd 
nowhere  else.  For  those  who  are  making  a 
long  stay  in  Paris,  a judicious  use  of  this 
collection,  in  conjunction  with  the  Louvre,  will 
cast  unexpected  light  in  many  cases  on  works 
in  that  gallery  which  it  has  been  impossible 
here  to  describe  in  full  detail. 

The  amphitheatre,  approached  from  the 
second  court,  contains  in  its  vestibule  a number 
of  plaster  casts,  also  valuable  for  purposes  of 
comparison.  The  transitional  archaic  period 
of  Greek  sculpture,  for  instance,  ill  represented 
at  the  Louvre,  is  here  well  exemplified  by  casts 
from  the  statues  in  the  pediment  of  the  Temple 
of  Athene  at  yEgina,  now  in  the  Pinakothek 
at  Munich.  Compare  these  with  the  reliefs 
from  Thasos  in  the  Salle  de  Phidias.  Similarly, 
casts  of  the  Children  of  Niobe,  belonging  to 
the  same  school  as  the  Venus  of  Milo,  are 
useful  for  comparison  with  that  famous  statue. 
The  amphitheatre  itself,  behind  the  vestibule, 
contains  Paul  Delaroche’s  famous  Hemicycle, 
one  of  that  great  painter’s  most  celebrated 
works.  Do  not  think,  because  I do  not  specify, 
that  the  other  objects  in  this  museum  are 
unworthy  of  notice.  Observe  them  for  yourself, 


The  Faubourg  St.  Germain.  441 

and  return  afterward  to  the  Louvre  time  after 
time,  comparing  the  types  you  have  seen  here 
with  originals  of  the  same  artists  and  variants 
of  the  same  subject  in  that  collection. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


ST.  DENIS. 


BOUT  six  miles  north  of  the  original  Paris 


stands  the  great  Basilica  of  St.  Denis, 
— the  only  church  in  Paris,  and  I think  in 
France,  called  by  that  ancient  name,  which 
carries  us  back  at  once  to  the  days  of  the 
Roman  Empire,  and  in  itself  bears  evidence 
to  the  antiquity  of  the  spot  as  a place  of 
worship.  Around  it,  a squalid  modern  indus- 
trial town  has  slowly  grown  up  ; but  the  nucleus 
of  the  whole  place,  as  the  name  itself  shows, 
is  the  body  and  shrine  of  the  martyred  bishop, 
St.  Denis.  Among  the  numerous  variants  of 
his  legend,  the  most  accepted  is  that  which 
claims  that  the  apostle  of  Paris  carried  his  head 
to  this  spot  from  Montmartre.  Others  say  he 
was  beheaded  in  Paris  and  walked  to  Mont- 
martre, his  body  being  afterward  translated  to 
the  abbey;  while  there  are  who  see  in  his 


BOULEVARD  MONTMARTRE. 


‘f'X 

* 

' . _ ‘f'f  • 


St.  Denis. 


443 


legend  a survival  of  the  Dionysiac  festival 
and  sacrifice  of  the  vine-growers  around  Paris 
— Denis  = Dionysius  ?=  Dionysus.  However 
that  may  be,  a chapel  was  erected  in  275  above 
the  grave  of  St.  Denis,  on  the  spot  now  occupied 
by  the  great  basilica ; and  later,  Ste.  Genevieve 
was  instrumental  in  restoring  it.  Dagobert  I., 
one  of  the  few  Frankish  kings  who  lived  much 
in  Paris,  built  a ‘^basilica''  in  place  of  the 
chapel  (630),  and  instituted  by  its  side  a Bene- 
dictine abbey.  The  church  and  monastery 
which  possessed  the  actual  body  of  the  first 
bishop  and  great  martyr  of  Paris  formed,  natu- 
rally, the  holiest  site  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  city ; and  even  before  Paris  became  the 
capital  of  a kingdom,  the  abbots  were  persons 
of  great  importance  in  the  Frankish  state.  The 
desire  to  repose  close  to  the  grave  of  a saint 
was  habitual  in  early  times,  and  even,  with 
the  obvious  alteration  of  words,  antedated 
Christianity,  — every  wealthy  Egyptian  desiring 
in  the  same  way  to  sleep  with  Osiris.’'  Dag- 
obert himself  was  buried  in  the  church  he 
founded,  beside  the  holy  martyr ; and  in  later 
times  this  very  sacred  spot  became  for  the  same 
reason  the  recognised  burial-place  of  the  French 


444 


Paris. 


kings.  Dagobert’s  fane  was  actually  conse- 
crated by  the  Redeemer  himself,  who  descended 
for  the  purpose  by  night,  with  a great  multitude 
of  saints  and  angels. 

The  existing  basilica,  though  of  far  later 
date,  is  the  oldest  church  of  any  importance 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Paris.  It  was  begun 
by  Suger,  abbot  of  the  monastery,  and  saga- 
cious minister  of  Louis  VI.  and  VII.,  in  1121. 
As  yet,  Paris  itself  had  no  great  church,  Notre- 
Dame  having  been  commenced  nearly  fifty 
years  later.  The  earliest  part  of  Suger's 
building  is  in  the  Romanesque  style ; it  still 
retains  the  round  Roman  arch  and  many  other 
Roman  constructive  features.  During  the 
course  of  the  fifty  years  occupied  in  building 
the  basilica,  however,  the  Gothic  style  was 
developed ; the  existing  church  therefore  ex- 
hibits both  Romanesque  and  Gothic  work,  with 
transitional  features  between  the  two,  which 
add  to  its  interest.  Architecturally,  then,  bear 
in  mind,  it  is  in  part  Romanesque,  passing 
into  Gothic.  The  interior  is  mostly  pure  early 
Gothic. 

The  neighbourhood  to  Paris,  the  supremacy 
of  the  great  saint,  and  the  fact  that  St.  Denis 


St.  Denis. 


445 


was  especially  the  royal  abbey,  all  combined 
to  give  it  great  importance.  Under  Suger’s  in- 
fluence, Louis  VI.  adopted  the  oriflamme,  or 
standard  of  St.  Denis,  as  the  royal  banner  of 
France.  The  Merovingian  and  Carlovingian 
kings,  to  be  sure,  — Germans  rather  than  French, 
— had  naturally  been  buried  elsewhere,  as  at 
Aix-la-Chapelle,  Rheims,  and  Soissons,  though 
even  of  them  a few  were  interred  beside  the 
great  bishop  martyr,  but  as  soon  as  the  Parisian 
dynasty  of  the  Capets  came  to  the  throne,  they 
were  almost  without  exception  buried  at  St. 
Denis.  Hence  the  abbey  came  to  be  regarded 
at  last  mainly  as  the  mausoleum  of  French 
royalty,  and  is  still  too  often  so  regarded  by 
tourists.  But  though  the  exquisite  Renais- 
sance tombs  of  the  house  of  Valois  would  well 
deserve  a visit  on  their  own  account,  they  are, 
at  St.  Denis,  but  accessories  to  the  great  basil- 
ica. Besides  the  actual  tombs,  too,  many  mon- 
uments were  erected  here,  in  the  thirteenth 
century  by  St.  Louis,  and  afterward  to  earlier 
kings  buried  elsewhere,  some  relic  of  whom, 
however,  the  abbey  possessed  and  thus  hon- 
oured. Hence  several  of  the  existing  tombs 
are  of  far  later  date  than  the  kings  they  com- 


Paris. 


446 

memorate ; those  of  the  Valois  almost  alone  are 
truly  contemporary. 

At  the  Revolution,  the  basilica  suffered  ir- 
reparable losses.  The  very  sacred  reliquary 
containing  the  severed  head  of  St.  Denis 
was  destroyed,  and  the  remains  of  the  martyr 
and  his  companions  desecrated.  The  royal 
bones  and  bodies  were  also  disinterred  and 
flung  into  trenches  indiscriminately.  The 
tombs  of  the  kings  were  condemned  to  destruc- 
tion, and  many,  chiefly  in  metal,  were  destroyed 
or  melted  down,  but  not  a few  were  saved 
with  difficulty  by  the  exertions  of  antiquaries, 
and  were  placed  in  the  Museum  of  Monuments 
at  Paris  (now  the  Ecole  des  Beaux-Arts),  of 
which  Alexandre  Lenoir  was  curator.  Here, 
they  were  greatly  hacked  about  and  mutilated, 
in  order  to  fit  them  to  their  new  situations.  At 
the  Restoration,  however,  they  were  sent  back 
to  St.  Denis,  together  with  many  other  mon- 
uments which  had  no  real  place  there  ; but, 
being  housed  in  the  crypt,  they  were  further 
clipped  to  suit  their  fresh  surroundings.  Fi- 
nally, when  the  basilica  was  restored,  under 
Viollet-le-Duc,  the  tombs  were  replaced  as 
nearly  as  possible  in  their  old  positions  ; but 


St.  Denis. 


447 


several  intruders  from  elsewhere  are  still  inter- 
spersed among  them.  Louis  XVIII.  brought 
back  the  mingled  bones  of  his  ancestors  from 
the  common  trench  and  interred  them  in  the 
crypt. 

Remember,  then,  these  things  about  St. 
Denis  : (i)  It  is,  or  was,  first  and  above  all 

things,  the  shrine  of  St.  Denis  and  his  fellow 
martyrs.  (2)  It  contains  the  remnant  of  the 
tombs  of  the  French  kings.  (3)  It  is  older  in 
part  than  almost  any  other  building  we  have 
yet  examined. 

As  regards  the  tombs,  again,  bear  in  mind 
these  facts  : All  the  oldest  have  perished  ; 
there  are  none  here  that  go  back  much  further 
than  the  age  of  St.  Louis,  though  they  often 
represent  personages  of  earlier  periods  or  dy- 
nasties. The  best  are  those  of  the  Renaissance 
period.  These  are  greatly  influenced  by  the 
magnificent  tomb  of  Giangaleazzo  Visconti,  at 
the  Certosa  di  Pavia,  near  Milan.  Especially  is 
this  the  case  with  the  noble  monument  of  Louis 
XII.,  which  closely  imitates  the  Italian  work. 
Now,  you  must  remember  that  Charles  VIII. 
and  Louis  XII.  fought  much  in  Italy,  and  were 
masters  of  Milan  ; hence  this  tomb  was  familiar 


Paris. 


448 

to  them ; and  their  Italian  experiences  had 
much  to  do  with  the  French  Renaissance. 
The  Cardinal  d'Amboise,  Louis’s  minister,  built 
the  Chateau  de  Gaillon,  and  much  of  the  ar- 
tistic impulse  of  the  time  was  due  to  these 
two.  Henceforth  recollect  that,  though  Fran- 
cois is  the  Prince  of  the  Renaissance,  Louis 
XII.  and  his  minister  were  no  mean  forerunners. 

The  basilica  is  open  daily ; the  royal  tombs 
are  shown  to  parties  every  half-hour ; but  the 
attendants  hurry  visitors  through  with  perfunc- 
tory haste,  and  no  adequate  time  is  given  to 
examine  the  monuments.  Therefore,  do  not 
go  to  St.  Denis  till  after  you  have  seen  the 
Renaissance  sculpture  at  the  Louvre,  which 
will  have  familiarised  you  with  the  style,  and 
will  enable  you  better  to  grasp  their  chief 
points  quickly.  Also,  go  in  the  morning,  on  a 
bright  day ; in  the  late  afternoon  or  on  dark 
days  you  see  hardly  anything. 

Start  from  the  Gare  du  Nord.  About  four 
trains  run  every  hour.  There  is  also  a tram- 
way which  starts  from  the  Opera,  the  Made- 
leine, or  the  Place  du  Chatelet,  but  the  transit 
is  long,  and  the  weary  road  runs  endlessly 
through  squalid  suburbs,  so  that  the  railway 


St.  Denis. 


449 


is  far  preferable.  Start  early.  Take  your 
opera-glasses. 

From  the  St.  Denis  station,  take  the  road 
directly  to  the  right  as  far  as  the  modern 
Parish  Church,  when  a straight  street  in  front 
of  you  (a  little  to  the  left)  leads  directly  to  the 
basilica.  On  the  left  of  the  place  in  front  of 
the  great  church  is  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  on  which 
it  is  interesting  to  notice,  high  up  on  the  front, 
the  ancient  royal  war-cry  of  ‘‘  Montjoye  St. 
Denis  ! ” 

Turn  to  the  basilica.  The  fagade,  of  the  age 
of  Abbot  Suger,  is  very  irregular.  It  consists 
of  two  lateral  towers,  and  a central  portion, 
answering  to  the  nave.  Only  the  south  tower 
is  now  complete ; the  other,  once  crowned  by 
a spire,  was  struck  by  lightning  in  1837.  Ob- 
serve the  inferiority  in  unity  of  design  to  the  fine 
fagade  of  Notre-Dame,  the  stories  of  the  towers 
not  answering  in  level  to  those  of  the  cen- 
tral portion.  We  have  here  the  same  gen- 
eral features  of  two  western  towers  and  three 
recessed  portals;  but  Notre-Dame  has  improved 
upon  them  with  Gothic  feeling.  The  lower 
arches  are  round  and  Romanesque.  The  upper 
ones  show  in  many  cases  an  incipient  Gothic 


450 


Paris. 


tendency.  The  rose  window  has  been  con- 
verted into  a clock.  On  either  side  of  it,  in 
medallions,  are  the  symbols  of  the  four  Evan- 
gelists. Observe  the  fine  pillars  and  Roman- 
esque arcade  of  the  one  complete  tower.  Also, 
the  reliefs  of  Kings  of  Israel  and  Judah  in  the 
blind  arcade  which  caps  the  third  story  in  both 
towers.  The  coarse  and  ugly  battlements  which 
spoil  the  front  are  part  of  the  defensive  wall  of 
the  abbey,  erected  during  the  English  wars  in 
the  fourteenth  century.  Behind  them,  a little 
way  off,  you  can  see  the  high  and  pointed  roof 
of  the  nave,  crowned  by  the  statue  of  the 
patron,  St.  Denis. 

Now,  enter  the  enclosure  and  examine  the 
three  round-arched  portals.  The  central  door- 
way has  for  its  subject  the  usual  scene  of  the 
Last  Judgment.  The  architecture  of  the  frame- 
work is  still  in  the  main  that  of  the  thirteenth 
century.  The  relief  in  the  tympanum  has  been 
much  restored,  but  still  retains  its  Romanesque 
character.  In  the  centre  is  Christ,  enthroned, 
with  angels.  On  his  right  hand,  the  blessed, 
with  the  angel  of  the  last  trump  as  elsewhere. 
On  his  left,  the  condemned,  with  the  angel 
bearing  the  sword,  and  thrusting  the  wicked 


St.  Denis. 


451 


into  hell,  — all  conventional  features.  The 
Latin  inscriptions  mean,  Come,  ye  blessed 
of  my  father  ” and  Depart  from  me,  ye 
wicked.''  Beneath  is  the  General  Resurrec- 
tion, souls  rising  (mostly  naked)  from  the  tomb. 
To  the  right  and  left  of  the  doorway,  below,  are 
the  frequent  subjects  of  the  Wise  and  Foolish 
Virgins.  Above,  on  the  archway,  figures  of 
saints  and  patriarchs,  amongst  whom  is  con- 
spicuous King  David.  Notice,  in  the  very 
centre  or  key  of  the  archway,  Christ  receiv- 
ing souls  from  angels.  To  his  right,  Abraham 
with  three  blessed  souls  in  his  bosom  (as  at 
St.  Germain  I'Auxerrois).  To  his  left,  devils 
seizing  the  condemned,  whom  they  thrust  into 
hell,  while  angels  struggle  for  them.  Higher 
still,  on  the  arch,  angels  swinging  a censer,  and 
an  angel  displaying  a medallion  of  the  lamb. 
This  door  formed  the  model  on  which  those  of 
Notre-Dame,  the  Sainte  Chapelle,  St.  Germain 
I’Auxerrois,  and  many  others  in  Paris  of  later 
date,  were  originally  based.  The  actual  doors 
have  nai’ve  bronze  reliefs  of  the  Passion,  Resur- 
rection, and  Ascension.  Notice  the  quaint 
character  of  these  reliefs,  and  of  the  delicate 
decorative  design  which  surrounds  them,  — 


452 


Paris. 


broken  in  the  case  of  the  Supper  at  Emmaus, 
by  the  figure  of  a monk,  probably  Abbot  Suger, 
grasping  a pillar.  The  Resurrection,  with  its 
sleeping  Roman  soldiers,  and  the  Kiss  of  Judas, 
with  Peter  sheathing  his  sword  and  Christ  heal- 
ing the  ear  of  Malchus,  are  also  very  typical.  Do 
not  fail  to  notice,  either,  the  beautiful  decoration 
of  the  pilasters  and  their  capitals.  All  this  is 
delicate  and  characteristic  Romanesque  tracery. 

The  other  doors  commemorate  the  history 
of  St.  Denis.  On  the  south  door  is  a much 
restored  and  practically  modern  relief  of  St. 
Denis  in  prison,  with  Christ  bringing  him  the 
last  sacrament ; it  has  been  largely  made  up  by 
the  aid  of  the  old  French  painting  of  the  same 
subject  in  the  Louvre.  In  front  are  figures 
symbolical  of  his  martyrdom,  — the  executioner, 
etc.  On  the  sides,  reliefs  of  the  months.  On 
the  north  door,  St.  Denis  condemned  and  on 
his  way  to  Montmartre,  with  his  two  compan- 
ions, Rusticus  and  Eleutherius,  chained  ; they 
are  accompanied  in  the  sky  by  the  Eternal 
Father  and  the  heavenly  host.  On  the  arch- 
way, interesting  reliefs  of  the  three  martyrs, 
with  an  angel  supporting  the  chdsse  containing 
their  relics.  On  the  sides,  the  signs  of  the  zodiac. 


St.  Denis. 


453 


Walk  round  the  north  side  to  observe  the 
decorated  flamboyant  architecture  of  the  chapels 
of  the  north  aisle  (much  later)  with  the  flying 
buttresses  above  them.  Also,  the  north  tran- 
sept, with  its  rose  window,  and  the  peculiar 
radiating  chapels  around  the  apse,  which  form 
a characteristic  feature  of  the  Romanesque 
style.  Observe  these  as  well  as  you  can  from 
the  extreme  end  of  the  railing.  Return  to 
transept.  The  sculpture  over  the  north  por- 
tal represents  the  decapitation  of  St.  Denis. 
On  the  centre  pier,  a Madonna  and  Child.  To 
the  right  and  left.  Kings  of  Judah. 

The  south  side  is  inaccessible.  It  is  en- 
closed by  buildings  on  the  site  of  the  old  mon- 
astery (not  ancient  — age  of  Louis  XIV.),  now 
used  as  a place  of  education  for  daughters  of 
Chevaliers  de  la  Legion  d’Honneur. 

The  interior  is  most  beautiful.  The  first 
portion  of  the  church  which  we  enter  is  a vesti- 
bule or  Galilee  under  the  side  towers  and  end 
of  the  nave.  Compare  Durham.  It  is  of 
the  age  of  Abbot  Suger,  but  already  exhibits 
pointed  arches  in  the  upper  part.  The  archi- 
tecture is  solid  and  massive,  but  somewhat 
gloomy. 


454 


Paris. 


Descend  a few  steps  into  the  nave,  which  is 
surrounded  by  single  aisles,  whose  vaulting 
should  be  noticed.  The  architecture  of  this 
part,  now  pure  early  Gothic,  is  extremely  lovely. 
The  triforium  is  delicate  and  graceful.  The 
windows  in  the  clerestory  above  it,  represent- 
ing kings  and  queens,  are  almost  all  modern. 
Notice  the  great  height  of  the  nave,  and  the 
unusual  extent  to  which  the  triforium  and  clere- 
story project  above  the  noble  vaulting  of  the 
aisles.  Note  that  the  triforium  itself  opens 
directly  to  the  air,  and  is  supplied  with  stained 
glass  windows,  seen  through  its  arches.  Sit 
awhile  in  this  light  and  lofty  nave,  in  order  to 
take  in  the  beautiful  view  up  the  church  toward 
the  choir  and  chevet. 

Then  walk  up  to  the  barrier  near  the  tran- 
septs, where  sit  again,  in  order  to  observe  the 
choir  and  transepts  with  the  staircase  which 
leads  to  the  raised  ambulatory.  Observe  that 
the  transepts  are  simple.  The  ugly  stained 
glass  in  the  windows  of  their  clerestory  con- 
tains illustrations  of  the  reign  of  Louis  Philippe, 
with  extremely  unpicturesque  costumes  of  the 
period.  The  trousers  are  unspeakable.  The 
architecture  of  the  nave  and  choir,  with  its 


ABBEY  OF  ST.  DENIS.  — THE  CHOIR. 


St.  Denis.  455 

light  and  airy  arches  and  pillars,  is  of  the  later 
thirteenth  century. 

The  reason  for  this  is  that  Suger  s build- 
ing was  thoroughly  restored  from  1230  on- 
ward, in  the  pure  pointed  style  of  that  best 
period.  The  upper  part  of  the  choir  and  the 
whole  of  the  nave  and  transepts  were  then 
rebuilt,  — which  accounts  for  the  gracefulness 
and  airiness  of  its  arehitecture  when  contrasted 
with  the  dark  and  heavy  vestibule  of  the  age 
of  Suger. 

Note  from  this  point  the  arrangement  of  the 
choir,  which,  to  those  who  do  not  know  Italy, 
will  be  quite  unfamiliar.  As  at  San  Zeno  in 
Verona,  San  Miniato  in  Florence,  and  many 
other  Romanesque  churches,  the  choir  is  raised 
by  some  steps  above  the  nave  and  transepts ; 
while  the  crypt  is  slightly  depressed  beneath 
them.  In  the  crypt,  in  such  cases,  are  the 
actual  bodies  of  the  saints  buried  there ; while 
the  altar  stands  directly  over  their  tombs  in  the 
choir  above  it. 

Look  every  way  from  this  point  at  the  tombs 
within  sight,  at  the  choir  and  transepts,  and  at 
the  steps  of  the  ambulatory.  Do  not  be  in  a 
hurry  to  enter.  On  the  contrary,  sit  awhile 


456 


Paris. 


longer  in  the  body  of  the  nave,  outside  the 
barrier,  and  read  what  follows. 

The  custodians  hurry  you  so  rapidly  through 
the  reserved  part  of  the  church  that  it  will  be 
well  before  entering  the  enclosure  to  glance 
through  the  succeeding  notes,  explanatory  of 
what  you  are  about  to  see.  The  remarks  to 
be  read  as  you  go  round  the  building  I insert 
separately,  in  the  briefest  possible  words,  as 
aids  to  memory. 

The  tomb  of  Louis  XII.  (d.  1515)  and  his 
wife,  Anne  de  Bretagne  (d.  1514),  is  the  ear- 
liest of  the  great  Renaissance  tombs  in  France, 
and  the  first  in  order  in  this  basilica.  Long 
believed  to  be  of  Italian  workmanship,  it  is 
now  known  to  be  the  production  of  Jean  Juste 
of  Tours,  unknown  otherwise,  but  supposed  to 
be  a Florentine.  It  is  imitated  from  the  Gian- 
galeazzo  Visconti,  already  mentioned,  in  the 
Certosa  di  Pavia.  This  tomb,  the  first  you 
see,  struck  the  keynote  for  such  works  of  the 
Renaissance  in  France.  It  is  a good  and 
apparently  French  imitation  of  the  Italian 
original,  and  it  fitly  marks  Louis  XII. 's  place 
in  the  artistic  movement.  Remember  his 
statue  by  Lorenzo  da  Mugiano  in  the  Louvre, 


St.  Denis.  457 

and  his  connection  with  Cardinal  d’Amboise 
and  the  Chateau  de  Gaillon. 

The  next  important  monument  is  that  of 
Dagobert  I.  (d.  638),  the  founder  of  the  ab- 
bey, probably  erected  in  his  honour,  as  a sort 
of  shrine,  by  St.  Louis  in  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury. In  order  to  understand  this  tomb  (which 
you  are  only  allowed  to  see  across  the  whole 
breadth  of  the  choir),  it  is  necessary  to  know 
the  legend  to  which  the  mediaeval  sculptures 
on  the  canopy  refer.  When  Dagobert  died, 
demons  tried  to  steal  his  soul ; but  he  was 
rescued  by  St.  Denis,  to  whom  he  had  built 
this  abbey,  assisted  by  St.  Maurice  and  St.  Mar- 
tin of  Tours,  — a significant  story,  pointing 
the  moral  of  how  good  a thing  it  is  to  found 
a monastery.  The  narrative  is  told  in  three 
stages,  one  above  the  other,  (i)  An  anchorite, 
sleeping,  is  shown  by  St.  Denis  in  a dream 
that  the  king's  soul  is  in  danger  ; to  the  right 
Dagobert  stands  in  a little  boat  (like  the  boat 
of  Charon) ; demons  seize  him  and  take  off  his 
crown.  (2)  The  three  saints  come  to  the  king’s 
rescue,  attended  by  two  angels,  one  swinging 
a censer,  the  other  holding  a vase  of  holy 
water ; St.  Martin  and  St.  Denis  see  the 


Paris. 


458 

tortured  soul ; the  soldier  St.  Maurice,  sword 
in  hand,  attacks  the  demons.  (3)  The  three 
saints,  attended  by  the  angels,  hold  a sheet, 
on  which  the  soul  of  Dagobert  stands,  praying. 
The  hand  of  God  appears  in  a glory  above, 
to  lift  him  into  heaven.  These  are  on  the 
canopy ; beneath,  on  the  tomb  itself,  lies  a 
modern  restored  recumbent  statue  of  Dago- 
bert ; there  are  also  erect  figures  of  his  son 
Sigebert  (restored),  and  his  queen,  Nantilde 
(original). 

The  tomb  of  Henri  II.  (d.  1559)  and  his 
queen,  Catherine  de  Medicis  (d.  1589) — the 
third  of  any  importance  — was  executed  by 
the  great  sculptor,  Germain  Pilon,  during  the 
lifetime  of  the  latter.  It  was  he,  too,  you  will 
remember,  who  made  the  exquisite  group  of 
figures,  now  in  the  Louvre,  to  support  the  urn 
which  was  to  contain  their  hearts.  As  in 
many  contemporary  tombs,  the  king  and  queen 
are  represented  alive  and  kneeling,  in  bronze, 
above,  and  nude  and  dead  in  marble  on  the 
tomb  below.  We  saw  a similar  tomb  at  the 
Louvre.  A second  monument,  close  by,  to 
the  same  king  and  queen,  has  recumbent  mar- 
ble figures  on  a bronze  couch,  — Catherine 


GERMAIN  PILON.  — TOMB  OF  HENRI  II  AND  CATHERINE 
DE  MEDICIS. 


St.  Denis. 


459 


is  said  in  her  devouter  old  age  to  have  disap- 
proved of  the  nudity  of  the  figures  on  the  first 
tomb,  — but  as  it  was  usual  to  distribute 
relics  of  French  kings  to  various  abbeys,  such 
duplicate  monuments  were  once  common. 

The  tomb  of  Fredegonde  (d.  597)  from  St. 
Germain-des-Pr6s,  is  a curious  mosaic  figure  of 
marble  and  copper,  almost  unique  in  character. 
It  is  not  of  the  queen’s  own  age,  but  was 
added  to  her  shrine  in  the  • twelfth  century. 
Most  of  these  early  kings  and  queens,  founders 
and  benefactors  of  monasteries,  were  either 
actually  canonised  or  were  treated  as  saints  by 
the  monks  whom  they  had  benefited ; and 
tombs  in  their  honour  were  repaired  or  reed- 
ified after  the  Norman  invasion  and  other 
misfortunes. 

Two  monuments  of  the  children  of  St.  Louis, 
from  other  abbeys,  carried  first  to  Lenoir’s 
Museum,  are  now  in  this  basilica.  They  are 
of  enamelled  copper,  with  repousse  figures,  ex- 
ecuted at  Limoges. 

The  most  costly,  though  not  to  my  mind  the 
most  beautiful,  of  the  Renaissance  tombs  is 
that  of  Francois  F"'  (d.  1547).  On  the  summit 
are  kneeling  figures  of  the  king,  his  wife  Claude, 


460 


Paris. 


and  their  three  children.  The  reliefs  on  the 
pedestal  represent  the  battles  of  Marignano  and 
Cerisole.  This  tomb,  like  that  of  Louis  XII., 
is  ultimately  based  on  the  Visconti  monument 
in  the  Certosa,  but  it  exhibits  a much  later  and 
more  refined  development  of  French  Renais- 
sance sculpture  than  its  predecessor.  It  is  by 
Germain  Pilon,  Philibert  Delorme,  and  (perhaps) 
Jean  Goujon.  The  architectural^  plan  is  noble 
and  severe ; but  it  lacks  the  more  naiVe  beauty 
of  Jean  Juste’s  workmanship. 

It  was  the  curious  custom  to  treat  the  bodies 
of  French  kings  (who,  as  royal,  were  almost 
sacred)  much  as  the  relics  of  the  saints  were 
treated.  Hence  the  head  and  heart  were  often 
preserved  separately  and  in  different  places 
from  the  body  to  which  they  belonged.  Fran- 
cois F"*  himself  was  interred  here ; but  an  urn 
to  hold  his  heart  was  placed  in  the  Abbaye 
des  Hautes  Bruyeres,  near  Rambouillet.  This 
urn  is  a fine  Renaissance  work  by  Pierre  Bon- 
temps.  Taken  to  Lenoir's  Musee  des  Monu- 
ments at  the  Revolution,  it  was  afterward 
placed  beside  the  king’s  tomb  in  this  basilica. 

Look  out  in  the  apse  for  the  altar  of  St. 
Denis  and  his  fellow  martyrs.  Near  it  used 


St.  Denis. 


461 


once  to  hang  the  oriflamme,  that  very  sacred 
banner  which  was  only  removed  when  a king 
of  France  took  the  field  in  person.  It  was  last 
used  at  Agincourt.  A reproduction  now  repre- 
sents it. 

The  other  monuments  can  be  best  observed 
by  the  brief  notes  given  as  we  pass  them. 
The  arrangements  for  seeing  them  are  quite  as 
bad  as  those  in  our  own  cathedrals,  and  it  is 
impossible  to  get  near  enough  to  examine  them 
properly.  Therefore,  take  your  bearings  from 
the  nave  before  you  enter,  and  try  to  under- 
stand the  architecture  of  the  choir  as  far  as 
possible  before  you  pass  the  barriers. 

Disregard  the  remarks  made  by  the  guide, 
who  expects  a tip,  and  read  these  brief  notes 
for  yourself  as  you  pass  the  objects. 

Enter  the  enclosure.  North  aisle,  on  the 
left,  several  good  mediaeval  recumbent  tombs, 
mostly  from  other  abbeys,  named  on  placards. 
Read  them.  Then,  tombs  of  the  family  of 
St.  Louis,  recumbent,  also  named  ; thirteenth 
and  fourteenth  centuries.  **Tomb  of  Louis 
XII.  and  his  wife,  Anne  de  Bretagne,  by  Jean 
Juste  of  Tours.  After  the  Certosa  monument. 
Beneath,  Twelve  Apostles ; four  allegorical 


Paris. 


462 

figures  of  Virtues ; king  and  queen,  in  centre, 
recumbent ; above,  on  canopy,  king  and  queen 
kneeling.  On  base,  reliefs  of  his  Italian  vic- 
tories. On  the  right,  column  commemorating 
Henri  III.,  by  Barthelemy  Prieur. 

Stand  by  steps  leading  to  raised  ambulatory, 
only  point  of  view  for  **tomb  of  Dagobert,  on 
opposite  side  of  choir,  thirteenth  century.  Leg- 
end of  his  soul,  see  above.  Erect  statues  of 
Sigebert,  his  son,  and  Nantilde,  his  queen. 
Insist  on  time  to  view  it  with  opera-glass. 

On  the  left,  **  tomb  of  Henri  II.  and 
Catherine  de  Medicis.  King  and  queen  re- 
cumbent, in  marble,  below ; kneeling,  in  bronze, 
above.  At  corners,  the  four  cardinal  virtues, 
bronze.  Also  after  Certosa. 

Ascend  steps  to  ambulatory.  Below,  monu- 
ments of  the  Valois  family.  Above,  to  the  left, 
second  monument  of  Henri  II.  and  Catherine 
de  Medicis,  recumbent  marble  on  bronze  mat- 
tress. Observe  monograms  of  H and  D,  as  on 
Louvre.  Proceed  round  ambulatory.  Chapels 
to  the  left  have  stained  glass  windows  of  twelfth 
and  thirteenth  centuries.  Interesting  subjects, 
which  note  in  passing.  **  Beautiful  view  across 
the  church  as  you  pass  the  transepts. 


St.  Denis. 


463 


In  the  centre  of  the  apse  of  the  choir  (above 
the  tomb  in  crypt),  is  the  altar  of  St.  Denis, 
with  his  fellow  martyrs,  St.  Rusticus  and  St. 
Eleutherius, — modern  imitation  of  the  original 
shrine,  broken  at  the  Revolution.  During  the 
neitvame  (nine  days  after  St.  Denis’s  day  — Oct. 
9)  the  reliquaries  are  exposed  in  the  nave, 
near  the  barrier.  On  one  side  of  the  altar  is  a 
reproduction  of  the  oriflamme.  Beyond  this 
altar,  continue  along  the  south  side  of  the 
ambulatory,  to  the  sacristy.  Modern  paint- 
ings, here,  relating  to  the  history  of  the  abbey. 
Labels  beneath  describe  their  subjects.  Ad- 
joining it  is  the  treasury,  containing  only  un- 
interesting modern  church  utensils.  Beyond 
the  sacristy,  tomb  of  Fredegonde,  from  St. 
Germain-des-Pres.  Hands,  feet,  and  face  prob- 
ably once  painted. 

Descend  steps  from  ambulatory  and  descend 
to  crypt.  This,  the  oldest  portion  of  the 
existing  building,  was  erected  by  Suger,  to 
contain  the  tombs  of  the  three  martyrs,  buried 
under  their  altar.  Its  architecture  is  the  most 
interesting  of  all  in  the  basilica.  Notice  the 
quaint  Romanesque  capitals  of  the  columns.  In 
the  centre,  bones  of  the  royal  family,  within 


464 


Paris. 


the  grating.  Neglect  them,  and  observe  the 
arches. 

In  the  crypt  chapels,  uninteresting  modern 
statues  (Marie  Antoinette,  Louis  XVI.,  colos- 
sal figures  for  the  monument  of  the  Due  de 
Berry,  etc.).  Neglect  these,  also,  and  observe 
rather  the  architecture  and  good  fragments  of 
glass  in  windows,  particularly  a very  naive 
Roasting  of  St.  Lawrence. 

Return  to  church  and  notice  the  monument 
of  Du  Guesclin,  1380,  that  of  Louis  de  San- 
cerre,  1402,  and  that  of  Renee  de  Longueville, 
from  the  Church  of  the  Celestins,  also  Blanche 
and  Jean,  children  of  St.  Louis,  enamelled  cop- 
per, Limoges ; from  other  abbeys. 

**  Frangois  L^,  his  wife,  Claude,  and  their 
three  children,  above.  On  pedestal,  scenes 
from  his  battles  ; high  Renaissance  work  : Phili- 
bert Delorme,  Germain  Pilon,  and  Jean  Goujon. 
More  stately,  but  less  interesting  than  Louis 
XII.  Urn,  to  contain  heart  of  Frangois  1% 
from  the  nunnery  of  H antes  Bruy  feres.  Louis 
d’Orleans  and  Valentine  of  Milan,  from  the 
Church  of  the  Celestins.  Charles  d’Etampes, 
1336,  with  twenty-four  small  figures  of  saints. 

Leave  the  enclosure  and  return  to  the  church. 


PIERRE  BONTEMPS.  — URN  FOR  THE  HEART  OF 
FRANgOlS  I. 


4 ^ *v  ' 


St.  Denis. 


465 


I advise  you  then  to  read  this  all  over  again, 
and,  finally,  go  round  a second  time,  to  com- 
plete the  picture. 

The  abbey  and  church  are  closely  bound  up 
at  every  turn  with  French  history.  In  Dago- 
bert’s  building,  in  754,  Pope  Stephen  II.,  flying 
from  the  Lombards,  consecrated  Charlemagne 
and  his  brother  Carloman.  In  the  existing 
basilica,  St.  Louis  took  down  the  oriflamme 
to  set  forth  on  his  crusade  ; and  Joan  of  Arc 
hung  up  her  armour  as  a votive  offering  after 
the  siege  of  Orleans.  But  indeed,  St.  Denis 
played  an  important  part  in  all  great  cere- 
monials down  to  the  Revolution,  and  its  name 
occurs  on  every  page  of  old  French  history. 

On  your  return  to  Paris,  you  may  find  this  a 
convenient  moment  to  visit  St.  Vincent  de  Paul, 
which  lies  two  minutes  away  from  the  Gare 
du  Nord. 

After  visiting  St.  Denis,  the  reader  will  prob- 
ably find  it  desirable  to  examine  certain  objects 
from  the  treasury  of  the  basilica  now  preserved  in 
the  Louvre.  They  are  mostly  contained  in  the 
Galerie  d’ Apollon,  in  the  glass  case  nearest  the 
window  which  looks  out  upon  the  Seine.  (Posi- 
tion of  cases  liable  to  alteration  ; if  not  here. 


look  out  for  it  elsewhere  in  the  same  room.) 
The  most  important  of  these  objects  is  an 
antique  Egpytian  vase  in  porphyry,  which 
Abbot  Suger  had  mounted  in  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury in  a silver-gilt  frame,  as  an  eagle.  It  con- 
tains an  inscription  composed  by  the  abbot  in 
Latin  hexameters,  and  implying  that  it  was  to 
be  used  for  the  service  of  the  altar.  Near  it  is 
an  antique  Roman  sardonyx  vase,  also  mounted 
as  a jug,  by  Suger  in  the  twelfth  century,  and 
from  the  same  treasury : its  inscription  says, 
‘‘I,  Suger,  offer  this  vase  to  the  Lord.”  Also, 
another  in  rock-crystal,  which  has  been  similarly 
treated ; it  bears  the  name  of  Alienor  d’Aqui- 
taine.  She  gave  it  to  Louis  VI L,  who  passed 
it  on  to  Suger : a twelfth  century  inscription  on 
the  base  records  these  facts,  as  well  as  its 
dedication  to  Sts.  Rusticus  and  Eleutherius. 
The  same  case  contains  a beautiful  Carlo- 
vingian  serpentine  paten,  which  formed  part  of 
the  treasure  of  Dagobert’s  abbey.  Observe, 
close  by,  the  beautiful  silver-gilt  Madonna,  char- 
acteristic French  work  of  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury, offered  by  Queen  Jeanne  d’Evreux  to  the 
Abbey  of  St.  Denis,  and  bearing  an  easily 
deciphered  inscription  in  old  French.  Note 


St.  Denis. 


467 

that  the  Madonna  in  this  royal  offering  carries 
in  her  hand  the  fleur-de-lis  of  France.  Com- 
pare this  work  mentally  with  the  other  early 
French  Madonnas  we  have  already  observed  in 
Mediaeval  Sculpture  Room. 

Among  other  objects  in  this  same  case  ob- 
serve the  curious  double  cross,  with  cover  and 
lid  to  contain  it,  where  the  inscription  above 
the  head  of  the  inner  cross  indicates  the  natural 
origin  of  the  doubling.  Close  inspection  of  this 
object  will  explain  to  you  many  little  points  in 
others.  Several  similar  crucifixions,  with  Ma- 
donna and  St.  John  and  attendant  angels,  are 
in  the  same  room  : compare  them  with  it.  To 
the  right  is  a good  relief  of  the  Maries  at  the 
Sepulchre ; a double  crucifix  with  St.  John  and 
the  Madonna ; and  a reliquary  fashioned  to  con- 
tain the  arm  of  St.  Louis  of  Toulouse.  Most 
of  these  objects  are  sufficiently  explained  by 
the  labels  : the  antique  inscriptions,  sometimes 
in  Greek,  are  easily  legible.  There  is  a beau- 
tiful view  out  of  the  window  to  the  left. 

The  examination  of  this  case  will  form  a 
point  of  departure  for  the  visitor  who  cares  to 
examine  the  minor  art  works  in  the  Galerie 
d’Apollon  and  other  rooms  of  the  Louvre.  I 


Paris. 


468 

have  left  them  till  now,  for  the  sake  of  the  peg 
on  which  to  hang  them.  I will  therefore  note 
here,  in  this  connection,  one  or  two  other  things 
which  may  assist  the  reader  in  the  examination 
of  the  remainder,  leaving  him,  as  usual,  to  fill 
in  the  details  of  the  scheme  by  personal  obser- 
vation and  comparison  of  objects. 

Walk  down  the  centre  of  the  Galerie  d' Apol- 
lon, on  the  side  toward  the  windows,  passing 
the  tawdry  crown  jewels,  and  the  many  exquis- 
ite classical  or  Renaissance  works  in  the  cabinet 
beyond  it,  all  of  which  you  can  afterward  ex- 
amine at  your  leisure.  Some  of  the  antique 
busts  in  precious  stones  come  from  abbey 
treasuries,  where  they  were  preserved  and 
sanctified  during  the  Middle  Ages.  But  in  the 
last  case  save  one,  observe,  near  the  centre,  a 
very  quaint  little  figure  of  St.  Lawrence,  lying 
comfortably  on  his  gridiron,  and  holding  in  his 
hands  a tiny  reliquary,  almost  as  big  as  himself, 
— a finger  with  a nail  on  it,  intended  for  the 
reception  of  a bone  of  the  saint’s  own  little 
finger.  This  odd  little  reliquary,  French  four- 
teenth century,  when  compared  with  that  for  the 
arm  of  St.  Louis  of  Toulouse,  will  help  you  to 
understand  many  similar  reliquaries,  both  here 


St.  Denis. 


469 

and  elsewhere.  The  martyr  is  put  there  as  a 
mode  of  signifying  the  fact,  — This  is  a bone 
of  St.  Lawrence.’'  Above  it,  note  again  five 
charming  crosiers,  containing  respectively  repre- 
sentations of  the  Madonna  enthroned,  the  An- 
nunciation, the  Coronation  of  the  Virgin,  again 
the  Annunciation,  and  a decorative  design  of 
great  beauty.  Note  their  date  and  place  of 
origin  on  the  labels.  When  once  your  atten- 
tion has  been  called  to  the  occurrence  of  such 
definite  scenes  in  similar  objects,  you  will  be 
able  to  recognise  them  at  once  for  yourself 
in  many  like  situations.  In  the  Annunciation,  to 
the  left,  observe  once  more  the  very  odd  way 
in  which  the  usual  lily  is  carefully  obtruded 
between  the  angel  Gabriel  and  Our  Lady. 
Some  obvious  barrier  between  the  two  was 
demanded  by  orthodoxy ; here,  the  decorative 
device  by  which  the  difficulty  has  been  sur- 
mounted’is  clever  and  effective.  Between  this 
crosier  and  that  of  the  Coronation,  look  again  at 
a queer  little  reliquary,  held  by  the  Madonna 
and  Child,  with  a glass  front  for  the  exhibition 
of  the  relic.  Another  Madonna,  close  by  to  the 
left,  similarly  holds  on  her  lap  a charming  little 
reliquary  basin.  The  same  case  contains  sev- 


470 


Paris. 


eral  coffers  and  reliquaries  in  champlev^  enamel, 
the  most  interesting  of  which  is  the  coffer  of 
St.  Louis,  with  decorative  designs  showing 
Romanesque  tendencies.  At  the  far  end  of 
the  case,  two  charming  silver-gilt  angels,  four- 
teenth century,  also  bearing  reliquaries.  Ex- 
amine in  detail  all  the  objects  in  this  most 
interesting  case.  They  will  help,  I hope,  to 
throw  light  upon  others  which  you  will  see 
elsewhere. 

I do  not  intend  to  go  at  equal  length  through 
all  the  cases  in  this  interesting  room ; but  your 
visit  to  St.  Denis  ought  now  to  have  put  you 
in  a fit  frame  of  mind  for  comprehending 
the  meaning  of  most  of  these  works  by  the 
light  of  the  hints  already  given.  I will  only 
therefore  call  special  attention  to  the  beautiful 
decorative  box,  containing  a book  of  the  Gos- 
pels, in  French  enamel  work  and  jewelry  of  the 
eleventh  century,  in  the  last  window  on  the  right, 
before  you  reach  the  Rotonde  d’Apollon.  This 
valuable  book  cover  is  also  from  the  abbey 
treasury  of  St.  Denis.  It  exhibits  the  usual 
Crucifixion,  with  the  Madonna  and  St.  John, 
and  the  adoring  angels,  together  with  figures 
of  the  symbols  of  the  Evangelists,  whose  names 


St.  Denis. 


471 


are  here  conveniently  attached  to  them.  The 
next  case,  to  the  right  of  this  one,  also  contains 
champlev^  enamels  of  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth 
centuries,  all  of  whieh  should  similarly  be  exam- 
ined. Note  among  them,  to  the  extreme  right 
in  the  case,  a very  quaint  quatrefoil  with  St. 
Francis  receiving  the  Stigmata;  a subject  with 
which  you  will  already  be  familiar  from  Giotto’s 
treatment,  and  whose  adaptation  here  to  a decora- 
tive purpose  is  curious  and  enlightening.  Next 
to  it,  on  the  left,  a Death  of  the  Virgin.  Far- 
ther on,  two  delicious  little  plaques  — one,  of 
Abraham  and  Melchisedeck,  with  St.  Luke  — 
(Abraham,  as  soldier,  being  attired  in  the 
knightly  costume  of  the  Bayeux  tapestry) ; and 
the  other  of  the  Offering  of  Isaac,  with  St. 
Mark  ; two  of  a series  of  the  Evangelists  with 
Old  Testament  subjects.  Above  these,  the  Em- 
peror Heraclius  killing  Chosroes,  with  cheru- 
bim. Still  higher,  a most  exquisite  Adoration 
of  the  Magi.  Also  Christ  in  Glory,  in  a man- 
dorla,  with  the  symbols  of  the  Evangelists  ; and 
two  closely  similar  Crucifixions,  with  a Madonna 
and  St.  John,  and  adoring  angels.  Compare 
these  with  the  similar  subject  in  the  first  case 
we  visited.  This  frame  also  contains  three 


472 


Pans. 


charming  saints  in  Byzantine  style,  a good  St. 
Matthew,  and  a little  King  David  holding  a 
psalter.  Do  not  leave  one  of  the  subjects  in 
this  window  unidentified  and  unexamined. 

I notice  all  these  decorative  treatments  here, 
merely  in  order  to  suggest  to  the  reader  the 
way  in  which  the  knowledge  he  has  gained  of 
the  fabric  of  St.  Denis  may  be  utilised  to  ex- 
amine works  of  art  from  the  great  abbey  both 
here  and  at  Cluny.  You  will  find  it  useful  to 
visit  both  collections  on  your  return  from  such 
a church,  in  order  to  mentally  replace  in  their 
proper  surroundings  works  now  divorced  from 
it.  Some  other  good  objects  from  the  same 
treasury  may  also  be  seen  at  the  Biblioth^que 
Nationale. 


CHAPTER  XXL 


CONCLUSION. 

PARIS,  outside  the  great  boulevards,  com- 
prises by  far  the  larger  part  of  the  existing 
city.  Nevertheless,  it  contains  comparatively 
few  objects  of  historical  or  artistic  importance, 
being  almost  entirely  modern  and  merely  resi- 
dential. Walks  and  drives  in  this  part  of  Paris 
are  pleasing,  of  course,  as  exhibiting  the  life 
of  the  great  town,  and  they  embrace  many 
points  of  passing  interest,  such  as  the  Trocad^ro, 
the  Champs  Elysees,  the  Champ-de-Mars,  the 
Place  de  TEtoile,  the  Arc  de  Triomphe,  the 
Parc  Monceau,  the  church  of  the  Sacre-Coeur 
on  the  height  of  Montmartre,  etc.,  etc.  Most 
of  these  the  visitor  will  find  out  for  himself. 
They  do  not  need  any  explanation  or  elucidation. 

Among  the  very  few  objects  of  historical 
interest  in  this  district,  I would  call  special 
attention  to  the  Maison  de  Frangois  1%  on  the 
473 


474 


Paris. 


Cours-la-Reine,  at  the  first  corner  after  you 
pass  the  Palais  de  T Industrie.  This  beautiful 
little  gem  of  domestic  Renaissance  architecture 
was  erected  for  Francois  at  Moret,  near 
Fontainebleau,  in  1527,  probably  as  a gift  for 
Diane  de  Poitiers,  the  mistress  of  Henri  II., 
though  it  is  also  asserted  that  the  king  built 
it  for  his  sister,  Queen  Margaret  of  Navarre. 
It  was  taken  down  in  1826,  and  rebuilt  on  the 
present  site.  The  style  recalls  that  of  the  Re- 
naissance palaces  of  Venice.  The  delicate  and 
beautiful  decorative  work  of  the  pilasters,  etc., 
and  the  dainty  portrait  medallions,  deserve  in- 
spection. Do  not  miss  this  charming  little 
building,  which  should  be  compared  with  Jean 
Goujon's  portion  of  the  Louvre,  and  with  the 
Renaissance  remains  at  the  Ecole  des  Beaux- 
Arts  and  elsewhere. 

A collection  to  which  a few  hours  may  be 
devoted,  in  the  same  connection,  by  those  who 
have  time,  is  the  Musee  Carnavalet,  which  lies, 
however,  within  the  boulevards.  The  building 
is  a fine  Renaissance  mansion,  once  the  resi- 
dence of  Madame  de  Sevigne.  Many  of  the  ob- 
jects preserved  here  have  a purely  sentimental, 
and,  to  say  the  truth,  somewhat  childish  interest. 


Conclusion. 


475 


consisting  as  they  do  of  relics  of  the  great  Revo- 
lution or  other  historical  events,  which  derive 
whatever  value  they  happen  to  possess  from 
their  sentimental  connection  only.  But  some 
of  the  objects  have  real  artistic  and  historical 
importance;  so  have  the  decorations  by  Jean 
Goujon.  When  you  have  seen  everything  else 
enumerated  here,  you  may  give  with  advantage 
a Thursday  morning  to  this  somewhat  scratch 
collection.  The  most  important  objects  are 
those  in  the  garden. 

For  the  Champs  Elysees,  the  Arc  de  Tri- 
omphe,  and  the  other  buildings  or  promenades 
of  wealthy,  modern,  western  Paris,  the  guidance 
of  Baedeker  is  amply  sufficient. 

The  buildings  already  enumerated,  and  the 
objects  noted  in  them,  form  the  most  important 
sights  in  Paris,  and  are  as  many  as  the  tourist 
is  likely  to  find  time  for  visiting  during  a stay 
of  some  weeks.  If,  however,  he  can  add  a few 
days  to  his  sojourn,  I give  briefly  some  hints  as 
to  a list  of  other  objects  worthy  his  notice, — 
taking  it  for  granted,  of  course,  that  he  will 
find  his  way  to  the  Champs  Elysees,  the  Bois 
de  Boulogne,  the  theatres,  etc.,  by  the  light  of 
nature,  not  unaided  by  Baedeker.  Amid  the 


Paris. 


476 

mass  of  information  tendered  in  the  ordinary 
guides,  the  visitor  scarcely  knows  how  to  dis- 
tinguish the  necessary  from  the  optional.  This 
short  list  may  help  him  in  his  selection. 

In  the  old  region  on  the  south  side,  between 
the  river  and  Cluny,  are  two  churches  worth 
inspection  by  the  antiquarian:  (i)  St.  Julien-le- 
Pauvre,  the  former  chapel  of  the  old  Hotel 
Dieu,  which  here  occupied  both  banks,  spread- 
ing to  the  spot  now  covered  by  the  statue  of 
Charlemagne ; transitional ; twelfth  century ; 
and  (2)  St.  Severin,  dedicated  to  two  local  Gallic 
saints,  of  the  same  name ; good  flamboyant 
Gothic ; its  interesting  portal  commemorates 
St.  Martin,  part  of  whose  famous  cloak  was 
kept  in  a chapel  here ; the  facade  was  brought 
from  St.  Pierre-aux-Boeufs,  on  the  He  de  la 
Cite,  demolished  in  1837;  good  modern  reliefs 
on  altar  represent  episodes  in  the  lives  of  the 
two  saints,  — St  Severin  the  Abbot  healing 
Clovis,  and  St.  Severin  the  Hermit  ordaining 
St.  Cloud.  Altogether,  a church  to  be  visited 
and  understood,  rich  in  historic  interest. 

Among  churches  of  the  later  period,  the 
domes  and  their  development  are  worthy  of 
study,  as  illustrating  the  ideal  of  the  seventeenth 


Conclusion. 


477 


and  eighteenth  centuries.  The  earliest  was 
St.  Paul  et  St.  Louis  (originally  Jesuit),  1627, 
with  a massive  and  gaudy  Louis  XIV.  doorway  ; 
interior,  florid  and  tawdry,  after  the  Jesuit 
fashion.  Next  comes  the  Sorbonne,  1635,  in- 
teresting from  its  original  connection  with  St. 
Louis  (his  confessor,  Robert  de  Sorbon,  founded 
the  hostel,  of  which  this  is  the  far  later  church, 
for  poor  theological  students) ; it  is  the  first 
important  dome,  and  contains  an  overrated 
monument  to  Richelieu  by  Lebrun,  executed 
by  Girardon.  If  you  have  plenty  of  time,  you 
may  visit  it.  Then  the  Invalides,  1705,  now 
containing  the  tomb  of  Napoleon.  Lastly,  the 
Pantheon,  already  described.  If  visited  in  this 
order,  they  form  an  instructive  series.  Note 
the  gradual  increase  in  classicism,  which  cul- 
minates in  the  Madeleine.  The  earlier  domes 
resemble  those  of  the  Rome  of  Bernini ; the 
later  grow  more  and  more  Grecian  in  their 
surroundings.  The  Institut  (included  here  for 
its  dome)  and  Val-de-Grace  are  sufficiently  in- 
spected with  a glance  in  passing. 

The  churches  of  the  innermost  Paris  are 
mostly  dedicated  to  local  saints ; those  of  the  outer 
ring  of  Louis  XIV.  to  a somewhat  wider  circle  of 


478 


Paris. 


Catholic  interest ; among  them,  St.  Roch,  the 
famous  plague-saint,  deserves  a visit ; it  is  rococo 
and  vulgar,  but  representative.  The  churches 
in  the  outer  ring  are  of  still  broader  dedication, 
often  to  newer  saints  of  humanitarian  or  doctrinal 
importance.  Among  these  quite  modern  build- 
ings, St.  Vincent -de-Paul  ranks  first,  on  account 
of  its  magnificent  frieze  by  Flandrin,  running 
round  the  nave,  and  representing  a procession 
of  saints  and  martyrs,  suggested  by  the  mosaics 
in  Sant’  Apollinare  Nuovo  at  Ravenna ; this  the 
visitor  should  on  no  account  omit ; it  lies  near 
the  Gare  du  Nord,  and  is  a good  example  of  the 
basilica  style,  successfully  adapted  to  modern 
needs.  Baedeker  will  efficiently  serve  you.  But, 
though  artistically  fine,  Flandrin’s  frescoes  are 
not  nearly  so  effective  as  the  original  mosaics 
in  Theodoric’s  basilica.  The  other  great  modern 
churches  — St.  Augustin,  St.  Ambroise,  La 
Trinite,  Notre-Dame-de-Lorette,  Ste.  Clotilde, 
etc.  — need  only  be  visited  by  those  who  have 
plenty  of  time,  and  who  take  an  intelligent 
interest  in  contemporary  Catholicism.  But,  if 
you  can  manage  it,  you  should  certainly  mount 
the  hill  of  Montmartre,  the  most  sacred  site  in 
Paris,  both  for  the  sake  of  the  splendid  view, 


Conclusion. 


479 


for  the  memories  of  St.  Denis  (the  common 
legend  says,  beheaded  here ; a variant  asserts, 
buried  for  the  first  time  before  his  translation 
to  the  Abbey  of  St.  Denis),  and  for  the  inter- 
esting modern  Byzantine-Romanesque  pile  of 
the  Sacre-Coeur  which  now  approaches  comple- 
tion. Close  by  is  a quaint  old  church  of  St. 
Pierre-de-Montmartre,  and  behind  it  a curious 
belated  Calvary. 

Those  whom  this  book  may  have  interested 
in  church-lore  will  find  very  full  details  on  all 
these  subjects  in  Miss  Beale’s  ‘‘Churches  of 
Paris.”  Another  useful  book  is  Lonergan’s 
“ Historic  Churches  of  Paris.”  With  the  key 
I have  striven  to  give,  and  the  aid  of  these 
works,  the  visitor  should  be  able  to  unlock  for 
himself  the  secrets  of  all  the  churches. 

Two  pretty  little  parks  which  deserve  a pass- 
ing visit  are  the  Parc  Monceau,  near  the  Ternes, 
and  still  more,  the  Buttes  Chaumont,  in  the 
heart  of  the  poor  district  of  La  Villette  and 
Belleville,  showing  well  what  can  be  done  by 
gardening  for  the  beautification  of  such  squalid 
quarters.  The  Jardin  d’Acclimatation  in  the 
Bois  de  Boulogne,  and  the  Jardin  des  Plantes, 


480 


Paris. 


at  the  extreme  east  end  of  the  south  side,  are 
both  interesting,  especially  to  the  zoologist  and 
botanist.  The  last  named  is  best  reached  by  a 
pleasant  trip  on  one  of  the  river  steamers. 

Of  collections  not  here  noted,  the  most 
important  is  the  Mus6e  Guimet  of  Oriental 
art,  near  the  Trocadero.  It  should  be  visited, 
if  time  permits,  by  all  who  are  interested  in 
Chinese,  Japanese,  and  Indian  products.  The 
Troeadero  itself  contains  a good  collection  of 
casts,  valuable  for  the  study  of  comparative 
plastic  development ; but  they  can  only  be 
used  to  effect  by  persons  who  can  afford  sev- 
eral days  at  least  to  study  them  (in  other 
words,  residents).  The  Ethnographical  Museum 
in  the  same  building  is  good,  but  need  only  de- 
tain those  who  have  speeial  knowledge  in  the 
subject. 

To  know  what  to  avoid  is  almost  as  impor- 
tant as  to  know  what  to  visit.  Under  this  cate- 
gory, I may  say  that  no  intelligent  person  need 
trouble  himself  about  Pere-Lachaise  and  the 
other  cemeteries ; the  catacombs ; the  various 
halles  or  markets ; the  interiors  of  the  Conser- 
vatoire des  Arts  et  Metiers,  except  so  far  as 
above  indicated,  the  Bourse,  the  Banque  de 


FONTAINEBLEAU.  — THRONE  - ROOM. 


Conclusion. 


481 

France,  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale,  unless,  of 
course,  he  is  a student  and  wishes  to  read  there ; 
the  Archives,  the  Imprimerie  Nationale,  the  vari- 
ous courts  and  public  offices,  the  Gobelins 
manufactory,  the  Sevres  porcelain  works,  the 
Institut,  the  mint,  the  Invalides,  the  Chamber 
of  Deputies,  the  buildings  in  the  Champ-de- 
Mars,  except  while  the  Salon  there  is  open,  the 
Observatory,  and  so  forth.  In  Paris  proper, 
I think  I have  enumerated  above  almost  every- 
thing that  calls  for  special  notice  from  any 
save  specialists. 

Three  excursions  from  Paris  are  absolutely 
indispensable  for  any  one  who  wishes  to  gain 
a clear  idea  of  the  France  of  the  Renaissance 
and  the  succeeding  epoch. 

The  first,  and  by  far  the  most  important  of 
these,  is  that  to  Fontainebleau,  a visit  to  which 
is  necessary  in  order  to  enable  you  properly  to 
fill  in  the  mental  picture  of  the  change  wrought 
by  Frangois  and  his  successors  in  French 
art  and  architecture.  It  is  an  inevitable  com- 
plement to  your  visits  to  the  Louvre.  This 
excursion,  however,  should  only  be  made  after 
the  visitor  has  thoroughly  seen  and  digested  the 
Renaissance  collections  in  the  Louvre,  and  the 


Paris. 


482 

iScole  des  Beaux-Arts,  as  well  as  the  tombs  of 
the  kings  at  St.  Denis.  Baedeker  is  an  amply 
sufficient  guide  for  this  the  most  interesting  and 
instructive  excursion  that  can  be  made  from 
Paris.  One  day  suffices  for  a visit  to  the 
chateau  and  a glimpse  of  the  forest,  though 
a week  can  be  pleasantly  spent  in  this  charm- 
ing region.  After  your  return,  you  will  do 
well  to  visit  the  Renaissance  sculpture  at  the 
Louvre  again.  Many  of  the  works  will  gain 
fresh  meaning  for  you  after  inspection  of  the 
surroundings  for  which  they  were  designed, 
and  the  architecture  which  formed  their  nat- 
ural setting. 

The  second  excursion,  also  valuable  from  the 
point  of  view  of  the  study  of  the  Renaissance, 
is  that  to  St.  Germain,  where  the  chateau  itself, 
and  the  exquisite  view  from  the  terrace,  are 
almost  equally  delightful.  Those  interested  in 
prehistoric  archaeology,  too,  should  not  miss 
seeing  the  very  valuable  collection  in  the  mu- 
seum installed  in  the  chateau,  probably  the 
finest  of  its  sort  in  the  world,  and  rich  in 
drawings  and  other  remains  of  the  cave-men 
of  the  Dordogne. 

The  third  excursion,  in  every  respect  less 


VERSAILLES.  — CHAMBER  OF  LOUIS  XIV. 


Conclusion. 


483 

pleasing  and  instructive,  is  that  to  Versailles. 
This  must  be  taken  rather  as  a duty  than  as 
a pleasure.  Leave  it  for  some  enticing  day  in 
summer.  Neither  as  regards  art  or  nature  can 
the  great  cumbrous  palace  and  artificial  domain 
of  Louis  XIV.  be  compared  in  beauty  to  the 
other  two.  The  building  is  a cold,  formal, 
unimposing  pile,  filled  with  historic  pictures 
of  the  dullest  age,  or  modern  works  of  often 
painful  mediocrity,  whose  very  mass  and  monot- 
ony make  most  of  them  uninteresting.  The 
grounds  and  trees  have  been  drilled  into  ranks 
with  military  severity.  The  very  fountains  are 
aggressive.  Nevertheless,  a visit  to  the  palace 
and  gardens  is  absolutely  necessary  in  order  to 
enable  the  visitor  to  understand  the  France  of 
the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries,  with 
its  formal  art  and  its  artificial  nature.  You 
will  there  begin  more  fully  to  understand  the 
powdered  world  of  the  Du  Barry s and  the 
Pompadours,  the  alleys  and  clipped  trees  of 
Le  N6tre's  gardens,  the  atmosphere  that  sur- 
rounds the  affected  pictures  of  Boucher,  Vanloo, 
and  Watteau.  Take  it  in  this  spirit  and  face  it 
manfully.  Here,  again,  the  indications  in  Bae^ 
deker  are  amply  sufficient  by  way  of  guidance. 


Paris. 


484 

When  you  have  seen  these  three,  you  need 
not  trouble  yourself  further  with  excursions 
from  Paris,  unless,  indeed,  you  have  ample  time 
at  your  disposal  and  desire  country  jaunts  for 
the  sake  of  mere  outings  But  these  three  you 
omit  at  your  historical  peril. 

In  conclusion,  I would  say  in  all  humility,  I 
am  only  too  conscious  that  I have  but  scratched 
in  this  book  the  surface  of  Paris.  Adequately 
to  fill  in  the  outline  so  sketched,  for  so  great 
and  beautiful  a city,  so  rich  in  historical  and 
artistic  interest,  would  require  a big  book  — 
and  big  books  are  not  easy  to  carry  about  with 
one,  sightseeing.  Moreover,  I reflect  by  way 
of  comfort,  it  is  not  good  for  us  to  be  told 
everything ; something  must  be  left  for  the 
individual  intelligence  to  have  the  pleasure  of 
discovering.  All  I have  endeavoured  to  do 
here  is  to  suggest  a method ; if  I have  succeeded 
in  making  you  take  an  interest  in  mediaeval  and 
Renaissance  Paris,  if  I have  stimulated  in  you 
a desire  to  learn  more  about  it,  I have  succeeded 
in  my  object.  However  imperfect  this  work 
may  be,  — and  nobody  can  be  more  conscious 
of  its  imperfections  than  its  author,  — it  will 
be  justified  if  it  arouses  curiosity  and  intelli- 


Conclusion. 


485 


gent  inspection  of  works  of  art  or  antiquity,  in 
place  of  mere  listless  and  casual  perambulation. 

It  is  common  in  England  to  hear  superior 
people  sneer  at  Paris  as  modern  and  meretri- 
cious. I often  wonder  whether  these  people 
have  ever  really  seen  Paris  at  all,  — that  beauti- 
ful, wonderful,  deeply  interesting  Paris,  some 
glimpse  of  which  I have  endeavoured  to  give 
in  this  little  work.  To  such  I would  say,  when 
you  are  next  at  your  favourite  hotel  in  the 
Avenue  de  1’ Opera  take  a few  short  walks  to 
St.  Germain-des-Pres,  the  Place  des  Vosges, 
St.  Etienne-du-Mont,  St.  Eustache,  and  Cluny, 
and  see  whether  you  will  not  modify  your 
opinion. 


THE  END. 


INDEX 


Abbate,  Niccolo  dell^  227. 

Abbey  Chapel,  433. 

Abbey  Prison,  424. 

Academie  des  Beaux- Arts,  51. 

Academie  des  Inscriptions  et 
Belles-Lettres,  51. 

Academie  des  Sciences,  51. 

Academie  Frangaise,  51. 

Agasias  of  Ephesus,  306. 

Albertinelli,  Mariotto,  170, 
287,  288. 

Alcamenes,  298. 

Angelico,  Fra,  ia6,  130,  131, 
134,  135,  136-138,  216,  263, 
270,  271,  272,  282,  283,  439. 

Angelo,  Michael,  170,  232, 
233,  320,  327,  328,  331. 

Angers,  David  d’,  97. 

Ansuino,  162. 

Arc  de  Triomphe,  48,  473, 
475- 

Arc  de  Triomphe  du  Car- 
rousel, 1 18. 

Avenue  de  FOpera,  401,  485. 

Bagnacavallo,  Bart.,  178. 

Banque  de  France,  377. 

Barbiere,  Domenico  del,  348. 


Barocci,  Federigo,  178. 

Barras,  393. 

Bartolommeo,  Fra,  171,  178, 
247,  262,  288. 

Bassano,  168. 

Bastille,  The,  22,  106,  376, 
406. 

Belleville,  479. 

Bellini,  145,  146,  154,  166, 
168,  213,  258,  439. 

Beltraffio,  Gio.,  166,  251. 

Bernini,  318,  358,  477. 

Bianchi,  144,  146. 

Bibliotheque  Nationale,  472, 
481. 

Bibliotheque  Ste.  Genevieve, 
52,  98. 

Bicci,  Neri  di,  138,  255. 

Bois  de  Boulogne,  475. 

Bol,  190. 

Bonifazio,  168. 

Bontemps,  Pierre,  460. 

Borgognone,  Ambrogio,  164, 
251,  261,  274. 

Botticelli,  126,  141,  142,  143, 
256, 257, 268, 439. 

Boucher,  203,  208,  358,  483. 

Boulevards,  24,  25,  26,  51,  52, 


487 


488 


Index. 


55,  95,  376,  381,  387,  401, 
403,  406,  416. 

Bourse,  377,  396. 

Bourse  de  Commerce,  377, 
395- 

Bouteillier,  Jehan  de,  45-47. 

Brea,  230. 

Bronzino,  198. 

Burne-Jones,  224. 

Buttes  Chaumont,  479. 

Calcar,  173. 

Canaletto,  176. 

Canova,  359. 

Carpaccio,  146,  278,  279,  280. 

Casteldurante  Ware,  77. 

Castello  Ware,  78. 

Catacombs,  The,  xiii. 

Cellini,  Benvenuto,  318,  331, 
347- 

Certosa  di  Pavia  (see  Bor- 
gognone). 

Chaffagiolo  Ware,  76. 

Chamber  of  Deputies,  481. 

Champaigne,  Philippe  de,  19 1, 
197,  198. 

Champ-de-Mars,  473,  481. 

Champs  Elysees,  xiii,  53,  399, 
473,  475- 

Charlemagne,  Statue  of,  37. 

Charles  VIII.,  320,  447. 

Charles  IX.,  354. 

Chasseriau,  207. 

Chateau  d’Anet,  347,  356, 
433- 

ChAteau  de  Gaillon,  327,  340, 
342, 356, 433,  434,  448, 
457- 

Chatelet,  Fountain  of  the,  23. 

Chavannes,  Puvis  de,  97. 

Ch.urch  of  the  Celestines,  348, 
464. 


Church  of  the  Grands  Au- 
gustins, 352. 

Church  of  the  Innocents 

.387- 

Cima,  146,  192,  258. 

Cimabue,  128,  133. 

Claude  of  Lorraine,  197,  201. 

Clouet,  155. 

Cluniac  Priory  of  St.  Martin- 
des-Champs,  404. 

Cluny,  Museum  of,  xiii,  xvii, 
14,  21,  46,  53-9L  92,  95, 
122,  177,  181,  224,  243,  257, 
265,  292,  321,  322,  333,  338, 
339,  346,  366,  369,  389,  409, 
418,  423,  472,  485. 

College  de  France,  52. 

Colombe,  Michel,  236-237, 
325,  341,  433. 

Colonne  de  Juillet,  406. 

Colonne  Vendome,  379,  402. 

Conciergerie,  24. 

Conservatoire  des  Arts  et 
Metiers,  404,  480. 

Conti,  Bernardino  de^  165. 

Corrcggio,  150,  151,  439. 

Cosimo,  Piero  di,  170. 

Costa,  140,  228-229,  279. 

Courbet,  21 1. 

Cours-la-Reine,  474. 

Cousin,  Jean,  345. 

Couture,  210. 

Couvent  des  Petits-Augus- 
tins,  432. 

Coyi>el,  203. 

Cranach,  194. 

Credi,  Lorenzo  di,  144,  171, 
258-260,  263. 

Crivelli,  Carlo,  219. 

Dagobert  I.,  443,  444,  457, 
458,  462,  465-466. 


Index.  489 


David,  148,  184,  189,  199, 
204,  205,  206,  210,  267,  268, 
359- 

Debrosse,  Jacques,  384,  413, 
429,  430. 

Delacroix,  209,  426. 

Delaroche,  Paul,  200,  209, 
360,  440. 

Delft  Pottery,  76. 

Della  Robbia,  235-236,  323- 
325,  342,  371,  373. 

Della  Robbia  Ware,  78. 

Della  Torre,  328-329. 

Delorme,  Philibert,  413,  433, 
460. 

Deruta  Ware,  76,  77. 

Deveria,  209. 

Domenichino,  179. 

Donatello,  214,  219,  230,  257, 
320-322,  324. 

Dosso,  163. 

Dou,  Gerard,  159,  182,  190, 
191,  282. 

Drolling,  427. 

Drouais,  203. 

Du  Barry,  Mme.,  202. 

Duchatel,  190. 

Diirer,  346. 

Duret,  55. 

Dyck,  Anton  van,  158,  159, 
184,  190,  191. 

Ecole  de  Droit,  98. 

ficole  de  Medecine,  52. 

Ecole  des  Beaux- Arts,  51,277, 
298,  327,  342,  397,  431,  436, 

, 446. 

Ecole  des  Mines,  52. 

Ecole  Poly  technique,  52. 

Eiffel  Tower,  xiii,  48,  49. 

Ethnographical  Museum,  480. 

Eyck,  J.  van,  60,  156,  i^.  , 


Fabriano,  Gentile  da,  130, 

254- 

Faenza  Ware,  76. 

Faubourg  du  Temple,  399, 
406. 

Faubourg  Montmartre,  399. 

Faubourg  St.  Denis,  399. 

Faubourg  St.  Germain,  52, 
56,  408. 

Faubourg  St.  Honore,  399. 

Fiesole,  Mino  da,  329. 

Flandrin,  210,  412,  419,  421, 
478._ 

Fontaine,  118. 

Fontaine  de  Medicis,  430. 

Fontaine  des  Innocents,  387. 

Fontainebleau,  105,  121,  356, 
481. 

Fontainebleau  (school  of), 
347,  474- 

Fontaine  St.  Michel,  55. 

Foppa,  230,  251. 

Fountain  of  Leda,  431. 

Fouquet,  180. 

Fragonard,  203,  208. 

Francia,  162,  360. 

Franciabigio,  159. 

Francois  I.,  xvii,  85, 104,  105, 
107,  114,  117,  120,  151,  167, 
172,  179,  180,  196,  227,  240, 
241,  307,  318-320,  324,  331, 
334,  340,  344,  347,  35^, 
380,  383,  390,  433,  448,  459, 
460,  464,  473,  481. 

Froment,  Nicolas,  180. 

Gaddi,  Agnolo,  133. 

Gaddi,  Taddeo,  286. 

Galand,  97. 

Gambetta,  Statue  of,  117. 

Garbo,  Raffaellano  del,  169, 
170. 


490 


Index. 


Gare  de  I’Est,  403. 

Gare  du  Nord,  448,  465. 
Garofalo,  260. 

Gaussel,  Jean,  109. 

Gerard,  Francois,  205. 
Gericault,  206. 

Ghirlandajo,  Davide,  68,  143, 
160,  171,  272,  277,  285,  288, 
435,  439- 

Giorgione,  Barbarelli,  154, 
168,  173,  192,  247. 

Giotto,  127,  129,  133,  232, 
255,  270,  271,  277,  284,  286, 
481. 

Giovanni  da  Bologna,  72,  341, 

344. 

Girardon,  477. 

Giraud,  207. 

Girodet,  207. 

Gobelins  Manufactory,  481. 
Goujon,  Jean,  70,  115,  283,. 
317,  320,  347-351,  353,  387, 
388,  412,  433,  460,  474,  475. 
Gozolli,  Benozzo,  135,  138, 
214,  277. 

Greuze,  J.  B.,  202,  203,  204, 
208,  358,  359. 

Gros,  206. 

Guardi,  176. 

Gubbio  Ware,  77. 

Guerin,  207. 

Guerrazar  Find,  The,  89. 
Guillemot,  427. 

Hals,  Frans,  208. 

Haussmann,  Baron,  25,  377, 
401,  403. 

Hebert,  97. 

Heist,  Van  der,  190. 

Henri  II.,  75,  114,  331,  340, 
348,  350,  366,  458,  462. 
Henri  III.,  462. 


Henri  IV.,  73,  88,  116,  118, 
119,  186-187,  407,  413,  430* 

Henri  IV.,  Statue  of,  25. 

Hill  of  Ste.  Genevieve,  92- 
103. 

Hobbema,  190. 

Holbein,  Hans,  155,  194,  195. 

Hondekoeter,  207. 

Hotel  Carnavalet,  41 1. 

Hotel  de  Cluny  (see  Cluny, 
Museum  of). 

Hotel-de-Ville,  49,  104,  121, 
377,  378,  381-383,  396,  406, 
449. 

Hotel-Dieu,  21,  24,  37,  51, 
476. 

Hotel  Saint-Paul,  22,  106, 
406. 

He  de  la  Cite,  xiii,  13,  16,  20- 
22,  23,  25,  26,  33,  34,  49, 
50,  52,  55,  121,  476. 

He  St.  Louis,  49,  375. 

Imprimerie  Nationale,  481. 

Ingres,  148,  210. 

Institute  of  France,  51,  477, 
481. 

Invalides,  48,  400,  477,  481. 

Jabach,  228. 

Jardin  d’Acclimatation,  479. 

Jardin  des  Plantes,  52,  479. 

Jardin,  Karel  du,  191. 

Jouffroy,  III. 

Jouvenet,  198,  200. 

Juste,  Jean,  456,  460,  461. 

Lafon,  427. 

Lallement,  Hugues,  59,  60. 

Laurens,  97. 

Lebrun,  Mme.,  200,  201,  205, 
206,  477. 


Index, 


491 


Lenoir,  Alexandre,  432,  446. 

Le  Notre,  379,  413,  483- 

Lescot,  Pierre,  115,  387. 

Lesueur,  278,  413. 

Lethiere,  210. 

Libri,  Girolamo  dai,  166. 

Limoges  Enamels,  81-82,  265. 

Lionardo  (see  Vinci). 

Lippi,  Fra  Filippo,  138,  142, 
213,  255,  256,  268,  439. 

Louis  VI.,  34,  444,  445- 

Louis  VII.,  34,  444. 

Louis  IX.,  24,  26,  29,  32,  33. 

Louis  XI.,  32-33. 

Louis  XII.,  320,  324,  340,  342, 
433,  447,  448,  456,  460,  461. 

Louis  XIII.,  xvii,  47,  115,  117, 
187-189,  358,  375,  380,  413, 
427,  430. 

Louis  XIV.,  xvii,  xviii,  45,  47, 
51,  52,  75,  112,  120,  160, 
178,  199,  201,  228,  350,  358, 
376,  377,  379,  380,  389, 

395-397,  399-405,  413,  426, 
453,  483. 

Louis  XV.,  75,  94,  96,  202, 

358,  378. 

Louis  XVI.,  464. 

Louis  XVIII.,  26,  447. 

Louis  Philippe,  209,  378,  454. 

Louvre,  The,  xiii,  xvii,  20,  22, 
26,  48,  70;  104-242,  252, 
253,  260-263,  268,  269,  271, 
273-275,  278,  285,  289,  296, 
299, 300,  305,  307-309,  312- 
314,  317,  332,  336,  339,  346, 
347,  355-364,  366,  368-370, 
375,  378,  379,  382,  388,  423, 
431,  433-435,  438,  440,  441, 
448,  452,  462,  465,  467,  468, 
470,  474,  481,  482. 

Luini,  Bernardino,  146,  150, 


154,  163,  164,  251,  261,  269, 
272,  273,  275,  277,  278,  435- 

Luxembourg,  The,  51,  52, 
356,  413,  428,  429. 

Luxembourg  Garden,  95. 

Luxembourg  Museum  of 
Modern  Paintings,  52,  428. 

Luxor  Obelisk,  378,  379. 

Lycee  Henri  IV.,  52,  98. 

Lycee  Louis-le-Grand,  52, 103. 

Lycee  Ste.  Barbe,  103. 

Lycee  St.  Louis,  52. 

Mabuse,  Jan,  Gossaert,  184. 

Madeleine,  The,  xvii,  376, 
399,  400,  448. 

Mairie  of  the  First  Arrondisse- 
ment,  108. 

Mairie  of  the  Fourth  Arron- 
dissement,  386. 

Mairie  of  the  Fifth  Arrondisse- 
ment,  98. 

Majano,  Benedetto  da,  330. 

Manni,  Gianicolo,  169. 

Mansart,  396. 

Mantegna,  Andrea,  139,  140- 
141,  150,  213-226,  228-229, 
232,  237,  242,  252,  270, 
279,  286,  342,  434,  435,  439. 

Marche-aux-Fleurs,  24,  37. 

Marche  St.  Germain,  431. 

Massone,  Giovanni,  230-233. 

Matsys,  Jan,  184. 

Matsys,  Quentin,  182,  183. 

Medicis,  Catherine  de,  115- 
116,  120,  348,  458,  462. 

Medicis,  Marie  de,  52,  73, 
184-189,  197,  413,  429. 

Memling,  Hans,  147,  151,  152, 
156,  183,  189,  224,  263,  269, 
270,  282. 

Messina,  Antonello  da,  154. 


492 


Index. 


Metsu,  Gabriel,  159,  191. 

Millet,  210,  211. 

Mohammedan  Potteries,  83. 

Monaco,  Don  Lorenzo,  128. 

Montagna,  146. 

Mon  tereau,  Pierre  de,  405,423. 

Montmartre,  17,  48,  92,  95, 
399,  403,  442,  473. 

Moretto,  166. 

Morgue,  The,  xiii. 

Moro,  Antonio,  147. 

Moro,  Ludovico  il,  329. 

Mottez,  109. 

Mugiano,  Lorenzo  da,  324, 
456. 

Murillo,  152,  159,  176,  177, 
282,  284. 

Musee  Carnavalet,  397,  474. 

Musee  des  Monuments,  432, 
446,  459,  460. 

Musee  Grevin,  Waxworks  of, 
xiii. 

Musee  Guimet,  480. 

Napoleon  I.,  116,  117,  118, 
206,  217,  219,  227,  378,  380. 

Napoleon  III.,  116,  117,  118, 
119,  121,  377. 

Nattier,  208. 

Nevers  Pottery,  76. 

Notre  - Dame  - de  - Lorette, 
Church  of,  478. 

Notre-Dame  de  Paris,  xiii, 
21,  24,  27,  28,  33,  34-49. 
55,  65,  66,  69,  122,  250, 
264,  369,  386,  400,  449,  451. 

Notre-Dame  des  Victoires, 
Church  of,  396. 

Odeon,  The,  52,  430. 

Oggiono,  Marco  da,  163,  195, 
261,  262. 


Olivieri,  323. 

Opera,  The,  396,  448. 

Opera  Comique,  23. 

Ostade,  A.  van,  190. 

Pacchiarotto,  287,  288. 

Pajon,  427. 

Palais  Bourbon,  415. 
Palais-Cardinal,  380. 

Palais  de  Justice,  21,  24-33, 
37,  53- 

Palais  de  ITndustrie,  474. 
Palais  Royal,  107,  358,  380. 
Palissy,  366. 

Palissy  Ware,  75. 

Pantheon,  The,  19,  92-98, 
103,  349,  400,  430. 

Parc  Monceau,  473,  480. 
Paris,  Jehan  de,  149. 

Parvis  (see  Place  Notre- 
Dame). 

Percier,  118. 

Pere-Lachaise,  480. 

Perrault,  Claude,  112,  430. 
Perugino,  Pietro  Vanucci,  129, 

130,  131,  139,  144,  149,  169, 
172,  179,  228-229,  233,  234, 
254,  255,  257,  258,  279,  331, 
341,  436,  438,  439. 
Perugino,  22,  23,  25,  26,  47, 
99,  109,  204,  206,  207. 
Pesello,  129,  136. 

Petit-Pont,  14. 

Pheidias,  293,  296,  297,  301. 
Pigalle,  392. 

Pilon,  Germain,  25,  70,  71, 
320,  347-350,  352-354, 

360. 

Pinaigrier,  385. 

Pinturicchio,  169. 

Piombo,  Sebastiano  del,  90, 
160,  269. 


Index. 


493 


Pisani  (school  of),  321,  324, 

334. 

Pisano,  Nicolo,  434. 

Pisano,  Vittore,  13 1. 

Place  Dauphine,  25. 

Place  de  Greve,  94,  382. 

Place  de  la  Bastille,  406. 
Place  de  la  Concorde,  378, 
399- 

Place  de  la  Republique,  388, 

405. 

Place  de  PEtoile,  473. 

Place  de  I’Opera,  401,  402. 
Place  des  Victoires,  396. 
Place  des  Vosges,  407,  485. 
Place  du  Carrousel,  432. 
Place  du  Chateau-d’Eau,  405. 
Place  du  Chatelet,  23,  55, 
448. 

Place  du  Palais-Royal,  379. 
Place  du  Sorbonne,  95. 

Place  Louis  XIV.,  396. 

Place  Notre-Dame  (Parvis), 
37- 

Place  St.  Sulpice,  424. 

Place  Vendome,  379,  402. 
Pointe  St.  Eustache,  388. 
Poitiers,  Diane  de,  61,  70,  71, 
115,  181,  327,  331,  347,  433, 

474. 

Pont-au-Change,  23. 

Pont  d’Arcole,  49. 

Pont  de  la  Concorde,  415. 
Pont  des  Arts,  121. 

Pont  du  Carrousel,  432. 
Pont-Neuf,  25. 

Pont  Notre-Dame,  14,  37. 
Pontormo,  171,  288. 

Pont  Royal,  432. 

Pont  St.  Michel,  55. 

Ponzio,  Paulo,  115,  344. 
Porte  St.  Honore,  399. 


Porte  St.  Martin,  404. 

Post  Office,  377. 

Poussin,  Nicolas,  197,  200. 

Praxiteles,  296,  300,  301,  305, 
308,  318. 

Prefecture  de  Police,  37. 

Prevot  des  Marchands,  382, 

383- 

Prieur,  Barthelemy,  350,  351, 
356,  362. 

Primaticcio,  179,  181,  197, 
227. 

Pujol,  Abel  de,  102,  426. 

Quai  de  Montebello,  44. 

Quai  des  Celestins,  106. 

Quai  d’Orsay,  414,  415. 

Quai  Malaquais,  432,  436. 

Quartier  Latin,  51-52,  56, 
414,  416. 

Raphael  Sanzio,  129,  130, 

146,  149,  151,  156,  157,  158, 
159,  160,  169,  171,  179,  180, 
213,  214,  220,  222,  226,  227, 
230,  233-242,  258,  282,  325, 
342,  436,  438,  439. 

Ravy,  Jehan,  45-47. 

Rembrandt,  150,  157,  190, 
191,  208,  282. 

Reni,  Guido,  179. 

Rhodian  Pottery,  83. 

Ribera,  Lo  Spagnoletto,  176, 
208. 

Riccio,  328. 

Richier,  355. 

Rigaud,  198. 

Roman  Palace  (Thermes). 

Rodari  (brothers),  327. 

Romano,  Giulio,  179,  181, 
225-228,  252. 

Rosa,  Salvator,  179. 


494 


Index, 


Rosselli,  Cosimo,  143,  179, 
259* 

Rossetti,  224. 

Rossi,  Salviati,  198. 

Rouen  Ware,  76. 

Rousseau,  Phil.,  210. 

Roussel,  Fremin,  350,  354. 
Royal  Palace  (Old),  21. 
Rubens,  Peter  Paul,  154,  157, 
184-189,  190,  193,  197, 

223,  268,  282,  413. 

Rue  Bonaparte,  416,  431. 
Rue  Castiglione,  329. 

Rue  Cujas,  103. 

Rue  de  Crenelle,  416. 

Rue  de  Harlay,  25. 

Rue  de  TAbbaye,  423. 

Rue  de  la  Cite,  37. 

Rue  de  la  Pais,  402. 

Rue  de  la  Reynie,  387. 

Rue  de  la  Verrerie,  386. 

Rue  de  Lille,  416. 

Rue  de  Rivoli,  xvii,  23,  37, 
49,  107,  116,  119,  121,  378- 
380,  399,  406. 

Rue  des  Ecoles,  95. 

Rue  de  Seine,  431. 

Rue  de  Sommerard,  56. 

Rue  des  Pyramides,  379. 

Rue  de  Turbigo,  388. 

Rue  du  Faubourg  St.  Honore, 
399- 

Rue  du  Louvre,  107,  380,  381, 
395- 

Rue  du  4 Septembre,  396,  403. 
Rue  Ferou,  428,  429. 

Rue  Royale,  399. 

Rue  Soufflot,  95. 

Rue  St.  Antoine,  106,  406, 

407- 

Rue  St.  Denis,  399,  401. 

Rue  St.  Honore,  399. 


Rue  St.  Jacques,  103. 

Rue  St.  Martin,  37,  386,  404. 
Russel,  John,  196. 

Sacchi,  Andrea,  163,  352. 
Sacre-Coeur,  Church  of,  17, 
48,  473,  479- 

Sainte  Chapelle,  xiii,  21,  22, 
26-33,  37,  41,  48,  68,  107, 
122,  350,  393,  405,  423,  451. 
Sarto,  Andrea  del,  150,  159, 
172,  225. 

Scheffer,  Ary,  210. 

Scopas,  302. 

Sesto,  Cesare  di,  251. 

Sewers  of  Paris,  xiii. 

Sforza,  Ludovico,  251. 
Signorelli,  Luca,  170. 
Snyders,  184. 

Sogliani,  283. 

Solario,  Andrea,  164,  165, 
251,  261,  274. 

Sommerard,  M.  de,  54-55. 
Sorbon,  Robert  de,  477. 
Sorbonne,  The,  51-52,  95, 

400,  477. 

Sorbonne,  Church  of  the,  95. 
Soufflot,  94,  96. 

Spagna,  Lo,  146,  169,  257, 
258.  ^ 

Squarcione,  214,  219. 

Square  des  Innocents,  387. 
Ste.  Agnes,  Church  of,  389, 
390,  393; 

St.  Augustin,  Church  of,  48, 

401. 

Ste.  Clotilde,  Church  of, 
478. 

St.  Cloud,  476. 

St.  Denis,  16-18. 

St.  Denis,  Abbey  of,  xiii,  17, 
36,  41,  42,  64,  65,  67,  181, 


Index.  495 


335,  356,  369,  372,  400,  403, 
410-41 2,  428,  432-434,  442- 
472. 

St.  Eloy,  Church  of,  21. 

St.  Etienne-du-Mont,  Church 
of,  35,  93-95,  98-103,  121, 
338,  349,  351,  422-485. 

St.  Eustache,  Church  of,  48, 
104,  121,  344,  388,  394,  422, 

485- 

Ste.  Genevieve,  16-20. 

Ste.  Genevieve,  Abbey  of, 
93-96,  98,  434. 

Ste.  Genevieve-des-Ardents, 
Church  of,  21. 

Ste.  Genevieve,  Hill  of,  35. 
Ste.  Genevieve,  Shrine  of, 
xiii,  20,  loi. 

St.  Germain-des-Pres,  Abbey 
of,  36,  52,  no,  in,  178, 
356,  369,  405,  408,  411,  416, 
419,  424,  425,  427,  459,  463, 

485- 

St.  Germain  PAuxerrois, 
Church  of,  18,  107-112, 

351,  364,  381,  409,  410,  425, 
451- 

St.  Germain-le-Vieux,  Church 
of,  21. 

St.  Germain  Quarter,  397. 

St.  Gervais,  Church  of,  49, 

383- 

St.  Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, 
Church  of  (see  Tour  St. 
Jacques). 

St.  Julien-le-Pauvre,  Church 
of,  51,  476. 

St.  Mary  Magdalen,  Church 
of  (see  Madeleine). 

St.  Merri,  Church  of,  68,  386. 
St.  NichoIas-des-Champs, 
Church  of,  405. 


St.  Pierre  - aux  - Boeufs, 
Church  of,  476, 

St.  Pierre  - de  - Montmartre, 
Church  of,  479. 

St.  Severin,  Church  of,  178, 
476. 

St.  Stephen  (see  St.  Etienne- 
du-Mont,  Church  of). 

St.  Sulpice,  Church  of,  49, 
390,  414,  426,  428. 

Sueur,  Le,  196,  199,  200. 

Suger,  444,  445,  449,  452,  453, 

455,  466. 

Tacca,  344. 

Teniers,  190,  193. 

Ter  Borch,  160. 

Theatre  du  Chatelet,  23. 

Theatre  Frangais,  401. 

Thermes,  Palace  of  the,  14, 
22,  51,  53-56,  68,  91,  92, 
.95,  399- 

Tintoretto,  Jacopo  Robusti, 
175,  208,  235-236. 

Titian,  Vecelli,  145,  150,  151, 
154,  159,  166-168,  172,  173, 
180,  192,  230,  247,  262,  269, 
282. 

Tour  d’ Argent,  24. 

Tour  de  Cesar,  24. 

Tour  de  PHorloge,  24. 

Tour  de  Montgomery,  24. 

Tour  St.  Jacques,  23,  37,  48, 
3437  381. 

Travaux  Publics,  416. 

Trianon,  The,  203. 

Tribolo,  324. 

Tribunal  de  Commerce,  23, 

37,  48. 

Trocad6ro,  The,  48,  473, 

480. 

Troy  on,  211. 


496 


I ndex. 


Tuileries,  The,  113,  116-119, 
378,  379- 

Tuileries,  Gardens  of  the,  432. 
Tura,  Cosimo,  141,  145. 

Uccolo,  Paolo,  135. 
University,  The,  51,  103,  408. 
Urbino  Ware,  77-78. 

Val-de-Grace,  477. 

Van  Eyck,  248,  263,  269,  270, 
282. 

Vanloo,  203,  483. 

Vanni,  133. 

Vecchio,  Palma,  174. 

Veen,  Van,  184. 

Velasquez,  160,  176. 

Velde,  Van  der,  190,  191. 
Velletri,  299,  304,  318. 


Verocchio,  439. 

Veronese,  Paolo,  152,  160, 
174,  175,  184,  267,  268. 
Versailles,  356,  383. 

Villette,  479. 

Vincennes,  427. 

Vinchon,  427. 

Vinci,  Leonardo  da,  154,  158, 
163,  164,  165,  166,  195,  214, 
229,  242,  244,  251,  260-262, 
273-275,  282,  284,  285,  438. 
Viollet-le-Duc,  66,  446. 
Visconti,  Giangaleazzo,  428, 
447,  456,  460. 

Viti,  Timoteo,  234. 

Vries,  Adrian  de,  341. 

Watteau,  203,  208,  483. 
Weyden,  Rogier  van  der,  183. 


